Truth is a Tangled Web
by The Mouse of Anon
Summary: Well now that Sonic and Sonia know Manic is Kleptomaniac things should be simple, right? Wrong. And certain elements of the past, his and others', are going complicate things further. Sometimes the truth is more confusing than it seems. Review please. n.n
1. Strand 1: When Things are Simple

Disclaimer: I own nothing Sonic-related except for my copies of games and the Sonic Archives, and my various warped fanfic crap. No sue I. Got it? Good.

Author's Note: I know, _believe me_ I know, how insanely long it's taken me to post this damn thing. Many apologies for that, but that's what college will do to you. It robs you of all your free time and chances to write. T.T I've gotta say: homework is a drag. Now if I could get _paid_ for writing this, then I would have it made, but alas I cannot. Oh well, my many apologies for how long it has taken for me to post the first chapter for the third in the Manic/Kleptomaniac series (and hopefully my posts for the next chapters won't take me so long); and read, enjoy, and review. C&C, as always, is greatly appreciated.  


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Manic let out an aggravated groan as Sonic's Goddess-awful caterwauling continued into its fifth minute. It was rare that his brother woke up before him. Rarer still when he was more awake than his thief of a brother early in the morning. The fact that Sonic had taken it upon himself to act as unofficial alarm-clock to his siblings made his empathic brother want to throttle him. Sending an image of what he was tempted to do if Sonic didn't shut up, Manic rolled over.

All was blessedly silent for five glorious seconds. And then Sonic started up again, this time his voice breaking on a particularly sour note that he really had no business trying to hit. With a growl Manic surged to his feet, stalked over to his door, and wrenched it open. "Bro, _shut up_. I swear to the yiffing Goddess Herself that you don't _stop_ singing that crappily; then I am _going_ to tie you up, gag you, and shove you in a closet. Got it?"

Green eyes slowly turned to regard the empath as the blue hedgehog beamed; his goal accomplished. "You know you wouldn't."

"Try me." Sonic eyed his brother warily as Manic stalked closer, clearly debating as to whether he could get away with making the other prince cringe by hitting another mangled note. "Sonic, just _don't_. It's yiffing bad enough that you _had_ to wake me up _at six in the damn morning_. Don't make me want to kill you any more than- oh crap, she's behind me."

True to what he'd realized just a moment too late, their sister stood behind the strongest of the triplets with a furious glare that threatened instant incineration. "Maaaaniiiic," Sonia growled in a sing-songy voice, sending chills down the thief's spine. Whapping him upside the head (Manic was grateful that it wasn't full force), the princess snapped out, "Don't curse!"

Scenes like this had rapidly been becoming the norm ever since Manic's secret had been blown wide open. Sonia occasionally fluctuated between being angry at him for the details of his life that he didn't tell them (for the sake of their stomachs), and fussing over him due to the various injuries he came 'home' with from time to time. Sonic settled himself at a comfortable level of knowledge, 'bastard' being the only word that needed to be said, and kept on experimenting with finding ways to pester the empath when he was bored. Especially when it came to thinking things _loudly_.

Normal sibling affairs aside; the knowledge that Manic was indeed Kleptomaniac and the fact that he no longer lied about it had changed the dichotomy of the relationship between the three of them ever-so-slightly. One of the biggest changes was the concern Sonic and Sonia had for Manic's sanity and overall health. No longer lying to them about who he was also meant that he stopped hiding his nightmares: and the frequent results. Knowing that he was emotionally sensitive after said nightmares had been hard to deal with. The fact that he _needed_ a calm mind around to help him come back to himself all the sooner, and that they had to school their emotions at such times was much more difficult.

As such both Sonic and Sonia had taken pains to accommodate their brother's particular 'requirements'; much though it annoyed him at times. Three months of them knowing his secret hadn't changed the fact that he hated being fussed over. What annoyed him further were Sonia's continual not-so-subtle hints, whether verbal or emotional, that she thought some therapy would do him good. As per usual for Sonic when it came to the various resulting squabbles, the hero would try to escape into a corner to avoid getting dragged in.

Respect for his strength and empathy had slowly been growing, which was a mixed blessing. While he could smooth the situation over in an argument by using his empathy to his advantage and 'listening', Manic found it difficult to negotiate compromises with his sister when she caught on to what he was doing; resulting in her stubbornly holding onto her anger for longer than had once been normal. Naturally that just upped the level of frustration between the two of them.

Truthfully Sonic was much easier to deal with. He didn't stress the concern for Manic's mental health as much; which the thief greatly appreciated. Then again, it helped that the both of them were plotting how to keep Sonia _away_ from her fiancé. Ever since Sonic had found out that Bartleby was part of the 'incident' three months before, he couldn't help but bristle at the mention of the poodle's name.

So far the brothers' attempts to keep Sonia and Bartleby separate were a rousing success- mainly due to the fact that Manic had caught on to a dream from Sonia one night: one that clearly illustrated her growing infatuation with a certain echidna that just _happened_ to be the Guardian. Since then Sonia's brothers had been trying to set her up. Speaking of which…

"Owwwww," Manic whined as he clutched at the back of his head. "What're you tryin' to do? Give me a concussion?"

Red eyes narrowed at the slight slip of false accent. One thing Sonia and Sonic had been slowly getting used to was how he sometimes wavered in and out of the accent without seeming to realize it. They had also quickly figured out that it was a good indication of his mood and more importantly, if he was trying to hide something. "Manic, your accent. You're doing it again," she warned in a slightly threatening tone.

Manic flinched involuntarily. "Sorry."

"Oh no Manic! What are you trying to hide now?" Sonic mocked, copping a golden-eyed glare from his brother.

"The only thing I'm hiding is how much I want to wring your neck if you yowl like a dying cat one more time," the thief growled back. "And that's _not_ a compliment."

"So his 'singing' was what woke you up? Not nightmares?" Sonia's tone carried the barest hint of relief despite her current temper. Along with having learned about Manic's nightmares his brother and sister had quickly figured out that was his main reason for waking up early in the morning. For him to be awake early sans nightmares was then something to be prized as it pointed to a night where his mental stability hadn't been under attack. At least, that's how Sonia chose to view it.

"Yeah, it was his yi- caterwauling that woke me up. He'd wake the dead singing like that." Manic mentally breathed a sigh of relief as he caught himself. No need to have his sister rip his head off for an accidental slip of words she quite thoroughly didn't approve of.

"Come on guys; stop talking about me like I'm not here. What am I? Chopped liver?" The hero whined only to be ignored.

"As glad as I am that you didn't have another nightmare," Sonia stated imperiously with a hand on her hip, "I still think it's a good idea, _for your sake_, if we get away for a while."

Green ears swiveled back as yellow eyes caught green for the barest second. _Initiate phase one_. "So-_nia_," Manic groaned as he scooted away from her however minutely. "How many times do I have to say it? I'm _fine_. I'm an empath, yeah, but I'm not gonna lose my mind just because of a few things I pick up."

A steely look burst into flame in the princess's ruby red eyes. "Don't you dare try that tack with me Manic Sarashi Hedgehog," she snapped.

The emotions that suddenly wafted over from Sonic to Manic in that second could have all too easily been translated as, _'Oooo, __burn__.'_ Manic chose to ignore it.

"Look, I'm just saying that we _don't need_ an 'island vacation' for my 'mental health'. I've been an empath my entire life. I'm not going to suddenly keel over tomorrow and start gibbering brainlessly in a corner. And- Sonic, I know you're thinking it, so shut up."

"What?" Sonic squawked, trying to act completely innocent despite his mental teasing of his brother. "I didn't say anything!"

"You were babbling about it in my head, so shut up."

"Sonic; stop teasing Manic. Manic, I don't care how much you argue, we're going to the Floating Island to get away for a while. It's for your own good! So stop fighting and deal with it," Sonia stated authoritatively in full-blown 'older sister' mode. Never mind that they had no idea what the birth order was. She still had a talent for taking up the role of eldest when her brothers got out of hand. Then again, the role of 'eldest' seemed to rotate among them depending on the situation.

"But-" Manic started to complain.

"Mo-om," Sonic teased before darting out of his brother's reach.

"Sonic, I swear to the yi- to the Goddess Herself that if you don't shut up I'm going to _hurt you_," the thief warned, barely catching himself again.

"You wouldn't dare," Sonic taunted from the driver's seat. Manic started for his brother, drawing a startled squeak from the blue hedgehog before Sonia imposed herself between them.

"Boys! Knock it off," she ordered, her tone bordering on a growl. "Sonic Takeshi Hedgehog, _stop_ harassing Manic. As for you Manic, we're going to the Floating Island to get away for a few weeks and that's final!" Slowly both of her brothers stood down and caved to her whims. Once Sonia was satisfied that Manic wasn't going to jump Sonic and start attacking him with a permanent marker the moment her back was turned, she flounced off to her room and closed the door with a resounding thud.

Yellow eyes darted from the closed door to the blue hedgehog cautiously peeking over the back of the driver's seat. Soon their eyes met, and identical grins slid into place on their faces. Phase one of 'Operation: Princess and Guardian Set-Up' was complete. "Told you it would work," Sonic muttered quietly so that their sister wouldn't hear.

"Alright, alright. I'll give credit where credit is due, but you have to admit that my instincts about having you mention the idea to her in the first place was pure genius," the thief replied with a smirk.

"So does this mean that you're not going to follow through with your threat about my singing if I start up again?" Sonic asked hopefully.

"No. Not just no, but hell no. If you make that Goddess-awful noise again, I'll tell Knux about _that_ dream."

Green eyes went wide in horror. "You wouldn't!"

"Tell my aching ears I wouldn't," Manic retorted.

"...I hate you," Sonic grumbled as his ears swiveled back.

The thief smirked. "No, you just hate the fact that I can read you."

"Jerk."

---

Half a day later saw the triplets taking the slow ride via hover-van up to the Floating Island. Manic's show of moping was convincing enough to earn him a ruby-eyed glare from his sister, as well as make her even more certain that the 'island getaway' was just what the thief-prince needed. For the most part he stayed out of Sonia's way; though occasionally he felt the need to interject not-so-subtle-hints that he could think of any number of places he would rather be than an island with a temperamental echidna whom he'd been jokingly exchanging death threats with for the past month and a half. "C'mon, there's _nothing_ there! I'm a thief! I steal things! The only things worth stealing are the emeralds and he'd like, totally power up and kick my butt," the green hedgehog whined for the umpteenth time.

Sonia let out an exasperated sigh, gripping the steering wheel tighter so the knuckles under her fur were turning white. "Manic Sarashi Hedgehog," she growled threateningly, her normally soft quills bristling with an irate sharpness that was more typical of her brothers, "I am going to say it for the last and _final_ time, and after this I don't want to hear one more word about it: we are _going_ to the Floating Island to get away and you are _going_ to _like it_, or so help me I'm going to _skin you alive_. Oh yes, and another thing: _accent_."

Manic flinched at her sharp tone, trying to ignore the waves of internal laughter rolling off of Sonic. "Sorry. But I'm serious, there are _loads _of other places and…," he froze at the slow glare and the near-growl coming from the princess. Letting out a nervous laugh, he shrank back in his seat a little. "…On second thought, going to the Island sounds good." A derisive snort was the only response Sonia gave as she turned her attention back to the slow ascent of the van.

Silence took hold and left a resounding quiet that, had Manic had an easier life, would have left him unnerved. Speaking of which… The thief turned his golden-eyed gaze on to his formerly laughing brother and watched him intently as the signs of impending boredom slowly began creeping into place. It started with a bored gaze out one of the windows, then in time the drumming of ungloved pale tan fingers beating on the 'kitchen' table, which was swiftly followed by Sonic's trademark tapping foot. A grin slid onto Manic's face as he _stared_ at his brother. It was no secret that since Sonic was so high-energy that he was a little ADD; but Manic found no end of amusement when it came to picking on the blue furred pest when he was most bored. _Especially_ when that boredom was coupled with a silence that Sonic found unbearable.

Where there was silence in a relaxed atmosphere, Sonic liked to fill it with sound; whether by normal living noises or _obscenely caterwauling_ early in the morning, it didn't really matter to him. To Manic though, it was cause for revenge. The threat of revealing Sonic's… _unusual_ dream to the Guardian had been enough to prevent him from persisting in his wish for his siblings to kill him; but it wasn't quite payback for having to wake up to that horrendous noise in the first place. So thus, Manic was indulging in another thing that he knew his brother couldn't stand: staring at him like a fish.

All it took was a slight mental prod for the fidgeting hero's eyes to sweep from the window to the empath; and then green eyes hardened into a glare. Manic's slightly fanged grin became more pronounced and he winked as he tauntingly sent over a feeling that could have been translated into _'ha ha'_. Sonic silently made a face in return before turning back to the window, causing Manic to quietly snicker. Minutes ticked by with nothing but the thrum of the hover-van's engine and Sonic's drumming fingers to fill the otherwise soundless air before the hero chanced another look at Manic. Golden eyes alight with mirth were still staring at him just as stubbornly as before.

A scowl flashed into place on Sonic's features, eliciting a fit of barely contained laughter from the other. "Stop staring at me," Sonic mouthed out, deliberately being quiet so as not to set off their already volatile sister.

"No," Manic mouthed back just as quietly with an amused grin.

"Stop."

"Make me."

"Stop it."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Why?"

"Just stop it!"

Manic snickered, a hand clamped firmly over his mouth. Once he had himself under control he removed his hand and mouthed, "N-O."

The next thing he knew, a very irate ball of blue fur launched himself across the room at him while yowling, "Stop staring at me damn it!!!" The two of them went down in a tangle of limbs that caused the hover-van to tilt dangerously to one side. Their arms were a blur of attack and counter-attack as they wrestled back and forth.

"Make me 'Maurice'," Manic cackled as he uttered the dreaded second middle name that Sonic despised; fending off Sonic's jabs at his sides with his superior strength.

"YOU DID NOT!!!" the blue hedgehog squawked in outrage as he redoubled his efforts to reach Manic's violently ticklish sides.

"_BOYS,_" Sonia snapped as she quickly righted the van, "I don't care who out of the three of us is faster, I don't care who's stronger, what I _do_ care about is peace and quiet; AND IF I DON'T GET IT THEN I'M GOING TO BRING MOM TWO PRINCE-SKIN RUGS! So sit down and _shut up_. NOW."

Two sets of wide, startled eyes turned to her as her brothers froze in place. A frightening and almost blood-red glower seen in the rearview mirror was enough to tell them that enough was enough. Sonic silently picked himself up off of Manic and scooted into the nearest seat with barely a sound. Manic quickly followed his lead though at a safer distance from their sister. In all fairness the two of them _had_ made the day less than pleasant for her; so she _did_ have all right to snap at the both of them for essentially ganging up on her with their childish behavior.

On the offset, it was quite deliberate at some points. Their sister would be all the more likely to go off and seek the Guardian's company in privacy if she was annoyed at them; which in turn would strengthen the faint bond between the two. Was it a cruel way to play matchmaker? Most definitely, but the two princes were positive that the end result would be worth it. Not that Sonic had enjoyed Manic using _that_ Goddess-awful name by any means. It was an unfortunate fact for all three of them that due to their royal status their names weren't simply confined to first-middle-last. Various titles and horrid middle names that usually were left un-uttered had a tendency to be tacked on; one part of ascending the thrones after Robotnik's reign ended that none of them were looking forward to.

Needless to say, the rest of the ride was quiet and without incident. Mainly because, as both Sonic and Manic knew all too well and as Knuckles had said, Sonia could be downright scary when she wanted to be. There was something to be said for the fortitude of the princess that could stare down an accomplished killer like Kleptomaniac.

---

Knuckles raised an eyebrow as the triplets came out of the landed hover-van. Judging by the way Sonic and Manic hung back and how Sonia purposefully strode forward to meet him, they'd had another sibling-spat. Once again the echidna found himself thankful that he _had _no siblings in the strict sense and the worst he had to deal with were the Chaotix. He'd long since lost count how many times he had thanked the Ancient Walkers for that tender mercy from the time he had first met the royal triplets. All the same he gave a faint smile and nod in greeting; Sonia had called ahead several days before to approve the 'vacation' with him. With that kind of consideration he was inclined to give her respect well-earned, both in a future-political sense and as that of a highly-trusted friend. "I take it your brothers have been idiots?"

Red eyes rolled skyward as the princess let loose an uncontrollable sigh. "You have _no_ idea."

Knuckles's violet gaze darted from Sonia to the two princes, who were feigning innocence, and back again. "…Something tells me you might need this vacation more than they do."

Sonia gave a slight chuckle as she shook her bright pink bangs out of her face. "I'm beginning to think that too."

"Come on inside then. I'll introduce you three, and then you can kick back and relax while Sonic and Manic get out of your hair." Knuckles turned and led the way to a nearby vine covered rock face. Brushing back the thick tangle of greenery, he revealed a cave-like entrance. By way of explanation he stated, "This is one of the many entrances to the Hidden Palace, so don't forget it."

The four of them slipped inside and the vine curtain slid back into place. Though dark, the tunnel wasn't as dark as might have been expected due to various glowing mosses on the walls and ceiling in a range of colors. Blues, reds, greens, and many other colors besides cheerily beamed at the four as they made their way along. The tunnel twisted and turned in a convoluted path with numerous forks going in all directions that felt reminiscent of an underground labyrinth. There were forks that took sharp inclines, sharp declines, ones that went forward or back, and turns of path that went straight up and down.

It would be all too easy to get lost as the triplets each silently noted, for there was little difference from one path to the next aside from what colors the moss in any given tunnel glowed. Despite this, Knuckles navigated the twisting up and down path with an ease that spoke of years of experience; a fact that Manic was quick to note and store in the back of his mind. Sonic's grudging admiration of the Guardian kicked up a few notches. If this was the way to the place where the Chaos Emeralds were kept guarded, it was no wonder that Robotnik hadn't ever found it regardless of how long he had tried to; whether by forthright means or manipulation. The safety and beauty of the tunnels were captivating enough; but once they left the tunnels and had entered the temple-like Hidden Palace the triplets found their breath taken away.

White stone walls and pillars that looked like they had been carved out of the palest marble held up a ceiling covered in a many-hued mosaic of what looked to be stained glass. Brilliant multicolored sunlight streamed in from the ceiling, rippling in a play of shadow and light that suggested the 'roof' was, in fact, underwater. Curiously enough the center of the round room was sunken in and from that shallow well a clear spring of water bubbled forth, defiant of what laws of nature might govern such a peculiarity.

Seven tunnel entrances were outlined in the walls of the huge circular room, each pointed archway made of a different color of stone, but only one arching entryway held a set of ivory colored double doors. Engraved on each door was a mirror image of a delicately built female echidna wearing a flowing set of robes and a breastplate that mimicked the curve of the sickle-moon; a near-exact replica for the one Knuckles bore on the fur of his chest in white. Around her were what looked like seven gems in orbit, each with ancient ekidon characters carved into them, likely denoting something with which to identify them. One hand bearing the finely boned knuckle-claws that Knuckles shared in common was held close to her heart, and the other was gracefully extended toward the carved-in door grips which had obviously seen centuries' worth of wear.

Those doors alone were hint enough that Knuckles's family had been there for as long as the Hidden Palace had existed. The ease with which he approached those ancient doors and gently swung them open made it just as clear that he had grown up within the Palace's confines. Smirking back at the three hedgehogs he spoke. "Welcome to the Hidden Palace." The triplets followed him in a stunned silence. One thing both Sonic and Manic realized with varying degrees of shock as they stepped through those intricate double doors, was that Knuckles wasn't only a good match for their sister personality-wise: he also had the status to back it up.

"Remind me not to bring Qet here," Manic murmured as the doors gently swung shut, "He'd fall in love with your front doors and you'd never hear the end of it."

An amused snort emanated from the Guardian, though his emotions clearly announced to Manic that there was a faintly annoyed tone to it. "I'll keep that in mind."

---

The armadillo stared at Espio with rapt fascination as the chameleon sketched out his latest artistic piece. Espio wasn't one to normally indulge in drawing, though he more than had the talent for it, but heaven help _anyone_ who dared to bother him when he was. Espio sat on a couch, donated courtesy of one of the former (now deceased) Guardians, a leg drawn up near his chest so that he could rest the drawing pad on his knee. His tail was carefully coiled around his glass of water so he wouldn't have to set it on the floor; an unfortunate necessity since a certain annoying crocodile had destroyed the end table the week before.

Said crocodile was on the opposite side of the room, well out of range of the chameleon just in case he had another flare up of temper; Espio still hadn't forgiven him for the table. Vector watched the bizarre situation as Mighty continued staring at Espio. The armadillo only stared like that when he wanted something, and oftentimes the results hit a level of amusing that had to be seen to be believed. As such Vector had no trouble keeping himself amused by watching the impending storm clouds coalesce between his two friends.

Finally hazel eyes dragged themselves up from the drawing to look at Mighty, the look easily described as 'condescending' to those that didn't know Espio, and to those that did know him it was 'a mixture of annoyance and being unimpressed'. The armadillo just smiled, his chin resting in the palm of his hand, as he leaned forward however slightly. When 'the look' didn't discourage him, Espio let out an exasperated sigh, "Mighty, for the last and final time _do it yourself_. I _am not_ going to help you and I am not-"

The chameleon's tirade was cut off as Knuckles walked into the room to take in the sight of the Chaotix. Mighty sat in a chair near Espio; cross-legged with an elbow resting on his knee and amusement radiating from him like heat radiated from the sun. Sitting in a chair in the corner farthest from Espio was Vector, who by all appearances was about ready to start laughing himself senseless, and perched on top of the crocodile's head was none other than Charmy. Ray, the only one present that was more brilliantly yellow than the bee, sat next to Vector on the floor reading a book. All present and accounted for, but judging by the looks of things someone had been about to get hurt before Knuckles had had the good timing to walk in.

Mighty glanced at him with a grin and gave a sarcastic wave of his free hand, though Espio continued glowering at the black-furred armadillo. Arching an eyebrow at the relatively quiet atmosphere, Knux opened his arms as a very hyperactive bee shot through the air to glomp onto his 'older brother' with a level of glee that was almost obscene. "You're home!" Charmy squealed as he beamed up at the echidna.

Chuckling at the insect's exuberance Knuckles replied, "Yes, I'm home, and I brought our guests with me." That got all sets of eyes to shoot toward the door just as Sonia stepped through, her brothers on her heals. The response was immediate on Vector's part as he caught sight of the princess. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened in out and out admiration.

Ray absentmindedly reached up to gently push the crocodile's lower jaw up and commented, "Down boy." Vector shot the flying squirrel a less-than-amused look before turning his attention back to the three hedgehogs and Knuckles.

An amused smile played upon the echidna's features even as he tried to fight it down. "Alright guys, allow me to introduce Sonia, Sonic, and Manic," Knuckles stated, indicating each in turn after shifting the bee in his arms to the crook of his left arm. Gently hefting Charmy up into a better grip so he wouldn't drop him, the echidna spoke again, only now introducing the other group of his friends. "The growth that's attached to me is Charmy." The bee cheerily waved at the royal triplets. Manic had to withdraw his habitual empathic scan to fight back the overwhelmingly emphatic hyperactivity of the bee. Just that small effort alone nearly gave him a headache and he barely managed to suppress a pained frown. Years of being a flawless actor kept him from even letting the slightest hint of it show in his body language.

The bee-juggling guardian continued, an affectionate smile for Charmy tugging at his lips, "The croc is Vector." Said reptile snapped off a joking salute and smiled, glad that he'd suppressed his dazed fascination with Sonia. "The squirrel next to him is Ray."

Ray smirked and answered with, "Nice to meet you and don't worry about Vector, he's harmless… and a bit of a doofus." The bright yellow squirrel ducked out of the way just as Vector swiped at him with his tail.

Knuckles gave a disapproving look, instantly getting the two of them back under control. "Sorry 'bout that boss," Vector muttered in apology. A nod; apology accepted.

"The armadillo is Mighty…"

"Hi," he grinned back. It seemed that Charmy wasn't the only one that was a little bit hyper.

"And last but not least: Espio."

The chameleon gave his own salute, this one much more relaxed and executed via the pencil in his left hand. Of all the Chaotix, Espio was the one that made Manic's mind bristle in warning. Naturally he said nothing, he didn't need anybody thinking he was paranoid; it was just a sense of caution that had served to keep him alive for most of his life. When Espio spoke it was with the calm control that indicated he was the most level-headed of the group, "An honor to meet you…" Hazel eyes darted to the armadillo to shoot him another glare while the chameleon's tail moved his glass of water further out of the mammal's reach.

Rolling his eyes at Mighty's antics, Knuckles broke in again. "These three are going to be here for a while. I don't think I need to say it, but _don't _pick any fights, okay? And Manic, that goes for you too."

Amber-yellow eyes snapped from their appraisal of the Chaotix to the Guardian. Manic's false accent was in place with as little effort as it took to breathe. "Like _I'm_ gonna pick a fight when my sis is totally threatening to skin me alive? What do you think I am? Suicidal?"

"You could have fooled me," Sonia growled warningly at the empath, to which most of the Chaotix exchanged 'oh crap- sibling disagreement' looks. Sonic instantly scooted away from his brother and sister to the other side of Knuckles; though he doubted that the echidna would take up the station of 'living shield' with Charmy in his arms should a fight break out.

Thankfully Knuckles did step in to diffuse the situation. Appealing to Sonia's desire for relaxation he tried to calmly coax down her temper; another point in his favor. "Sonia, this is a vacation for you. Don't you think it would be better spent relaxing and taking it easy than getting annoyed at your brothers?" Red eyes slid to the guardian and softened. "I'll make sure they don't cause problems. I promise. Tell you what, we've got a hot spring down here that I think you'd enjoy. Sound like a plan?"

A weary look crossed the princess's face, "I can't remember the last time I enjoyed something like that. Please."

Knuckles considered for a moment before deciding to take mercy on someone else in the room. "Mighty," the armadillo's posture straightened in response, "would you escort Sonia?"

Getting to his feet, Mighty gracefully extended a hand to the hedgehog with a smile. "Shall we?" Sonia shyly nodded and took his hand before the two of them swept out the room through another door. Espio let out a relieved sigh and allowed his attention to divert back to his artwork.

Sonic frowned and gave Knuckles a concerned look, but the echidna waved it off. "She's safe with Mighty. He wouldn't dream of doing anything to her."

The unspoken connotations of that statement that were swirling in the echidna's mind made it hard for Manic to keep his eyebrows from shooting up. _'Better not to ask until later.'_ He had the feeling that he'd find out eventually. That was when the Guardian's attention turned back to the thief-prince.

"Oh and Manic, good friend or no, if you steal something from me I will _hurt you_." Several sets of eyes, most notably the calculating hazel eyes of Espio, darted to once again lock on the thief-prince.

Internally Manic cringed at how bluntly Knuckles had out-ed that detail about him to his other friends. Judging by the faint hint of a raised eyebrow from Sonic, his brother had spotted the 'Goddess-_damn it_' twitch as he liked to call it. It was a subtle expression of Manic's that he was rarely aware of making, but one that Sonic had caught on to rather quickly after his secret had been blown wide open. When he finally spoke it was with a somewhat miffed tone, "Hey, dude, I may be a thief, but like I said: I'm not suicidal."

Violet eyes gave a knowing look, but all the guardian said in response was, "Good."

---

Just two days in and Sonia had become thoroughly enamored of the room containing the hot-spring. Within those pearly white walls her tension had been slowly bleeding away as she reveled in the soothing heat of the basin. It couldn't appropriately be called a tub as it was much too large; but neither could it be called a pool as it was far too shallow, coming up as it did only to her waist when she was standing. Perhaps calling it a pond was a truer statement.

True to his promise, Knuckles had kept her brothers otherwise occupied. There had been no waking up at the crack of dawn to play 'older sister' to break up a squabble. Since Knuckles assured her that there weren't any monsters on the Island to cause incidents that would create nightmares to plague Manic, she no longer had to worry about him disappearing in the night only to hear within the next day or so that someone had turned up dead.

For her to not have anything to be stressed about was sheer paradise. It was an indulgence that she wouldn't allow herself under normal circumstances. Before she had become more of a warrior in her own right, and most definitely long before 'Kleptomaniac' had come to light, she would have been tempted and likely would have caved. Traveling with her brothers had taught her responsibility; not that pithy wire framework that she had grown up as a noble to recognize as such, but _true_ responsibility.

Looking back at what she'd been like before meeting her brothers, Sonia had no trouble labeling herself as a coward. Sonic and Manic had been risking their lives long before the thought had ever entered her head. Meeting the two of them, _getting to know them_, had also taught her that honor was something real and substantial; not the easily compromised blasts of hot air that most of the nobility extolled when it suited their mood. Though she'd never said it, when she found out about Manic's secret she hadn't been so much ashamed of him as she was of _herself_. 'Older Sister' Sonia, having taken the place of 'Damsel in Distress' Sonia, felt like she had failed her most wounded brother by not noticing the lies he told or the pain he suffered.

A sigh pulled itself from her as she leaned back against the side of the pond. She still didn't approve of Manic's methods or his hunting, but a detached part of her recognized that he was capable of doing the cloak-and-dagger work that nobody else could do that _had_ to be done. Much though it sickened Sonia to think about it, she knew that Manic's expertise in all areas would be a benefit for all of Mobius once Robotnik was taken down. Whereas either Sonic or she could only stand to take down someone like the overlord when it was too late for their actions to be preventative; Manic could take down such a person _before_ they became a threat. If she was to be the glorified princess, then Sonic was the golden knight and Manic was the royal assassin. It was a perfect, if slightly sickening, triad. That same detached part wondered if that was why the Oracle had counseled their mother to leave Manic where she did.

'_But why does his mental health have to be compromised for the benefit of Mobius? He shouldn't have to be a martyr anymore than Sonic or I… It isn't _fair_!!!'_ She slapped at the water in a fit of temper, sending a wave half as tall as her crashing across the basin. Red eyes glowered at the top of the water as she moodily brooded over her old studies in Lady Windermere's estate. Martyrs looked well and good enough on paper and in stories, fully admirable as the best of heroes, but that had never changed her depressive view of such beings.

A martyr might be vaunted as the holiest of the holy, the best of the best, but she had always been able to pick out that there was something terrible and distinctly saddening about them. Every single one that she had studied or read about was sick or in some way fatally wounded by something in their past. They were doomed to death, madness, or worse. Once they had served their purpose there was no more need for them; that was when they would die in one way or another if they hadn't physically died.

It was a fate that she was determined Manic would _not_ suffer. Just the thought of such a cruelty being rained down on the empath made something violent and terrible beat in her chest with a barely controllable protective rage. Her quills would bristle to an almost diamond-edged sharpness and her fangs would slide into view- something which she had been told life long was extremely unladylike and not to be thought of when it came to her. It was a side of her that she never would have guessed at just a scant year or two earlier; her fiancé would be horrified if he knew.

What simultaneously frightened and gave her a surge of pride for the depth of her love for the brothers she should have known her whole life, was the knowledge that if push came to shove she would have no qualms killing someone to save them. Sonia had to wonder if that same feeling was what fueled Manic's actions as Kleptomaniac. Ripples of water smoothed to a wavering clarity that reflected her troubled red eyes back to her.

It felt like it had been a lifetime ago, but once upon a time she had been ashamed of those eyes. Red eyes were thought to be ugly or an indication of a violent person among the nobles she had grown up knowing. She had been the princess, but she had also been undesirable to be around. Only by being the perfect lady that Lady Windermere had raised her to be had she been able to get the other nobles to overcome their wariness. Bartleby had been the first to ever propose, and the very first to tell her that her eyes were beautiful. 'Flawed' mix-breed or no, Bartleby's romanticism had been a much-needed ego boost at the time.

The red eyes that Bartleby claimed to so love burned with rage in a fiery or bloody gaze when she lost her temper, but nothing from her compared to the frosty fury that Manic could contain in a single glare. Manic's temper and how it showed in his amber-yellow orbs made her red gaze seem soft and genial by contrast. Then again his emotions were on a drastic scale that she could barely comprehend. His swings in mood were what would be classified by many as unstable; yet were healthy within a reasonable degree for an empath. Those same moods made his eyes shine with an unquenchable spirit that could silently communicate how much he cared for others. Manic made his amber-yellow eye color more brilliant than anybody else she had known that shared it in common.

Realizing how vibrant the eyes colors were in her family and finding out that she wasn't the only one to stand out made her feel more at home. If her family could spawn bright red eyes like hers, not to mention spirited golden yellow and a brilliant jungle green, then perhaps there had been nothing wrong with her appearance in the first place. That, and persistent dreams she fought to ignore, had her re-examining her engagement to Bartleby. He could tolerate her as the perfect lady who felt wretchedly flawed for having red eyes, but what of the person she had become?

A finely boned and tan-furred hand blurred her image again, more gently this time. That was a question she wouldn't get an answer, _a real answer_, to until Robotnik had been deposed. Another sigh split the air and she began to stand from the carved-in seat she had been occupying. Climbing out of the basin she shook herself off: another 'unladylike' trait that she'd picked up from her brothers.

'_At least I haven't lost my sense of modesty,'_ she reflected wryly as she reached for a towel. The very first time she had opened Manic's door to find him laying on his stomach and almost soaked to the bone in nothing but his fur while reading, she had shrieked and lectured him for close to three hours on propriety and why having a sense of modesty was important. Naturally he had just shrugged and told her that it wasn't his problem. _'I wonder if he'll still do that once Robotnik's gone? ... I think Mom's in for a heart attack when she finds out.'_

Ruffling her fur with the towel to get out as much of the remaining water as she could, she then attacked her quills and winced as a sharp one drove through the towel into her palm. Sonia brought her injured hand forward to look it over and was surprised to see the blood welling up as it began dripping down the side of her hand. A frown flickered into place; never before had she ever had to worry about her quills slicing into her. She knew that the more aggressive the hedgehog the more sharp their quills were prone to being, but this was the first time in her memory that her own had approached anything resembling what was normal for her brothers. Perhaps her train of thought was responsible?

Discarding the towel, Sonia snatched an available robe and wrapped herself up in it before taking a firm grip of the wrist of her bleeding hand to slow the bleeding. What she hadn't expected to see the moment she stepped out of the room with the hot spring was Mighty seated next to the door and leaning against the wall. "Mighty?" she asked in a quizzical tone.

Jumping to his feet the armadillo grinned in greeting. "Hi Sonia, I was on guard duty."

The princess arched an eyebrow, "Guard duty?"

Mighty's response was a shrug. "Vector's got a puppy crush. I figured you didn't want him snooping around."

"Thanks… and I shouldn't worry about you… why?" Despite her words Sonia's tone was somewhat playful. In the brief time she had been getting to know the armadillo she had found his company to be quite agreeable. She could almost call him a friend.

Deep sea blue eyes rolled, and then he caught sight of her hand. Frowning, he asked, "Sonia, what happened to your hand?"

"I… accidentally stabbed it with one of my quills."

Black furred eyebrows shot upward, almost coming in contact with the base of his red 'shell'. "Now that's something I wouldn't have expected. Normally your quills look… fluffy. Not fluffy like 'poodle fluffy', but fluffy like 'soft fluffy'… if that makes sense. Which I'm sure it doesn't." Even as he talked he motioned her to follow him into a room full of random supplies. Once inside he began immediately digging through boxes to locate some basic first aid materials. "Go ahead and take a seat," he added offhandedly while motioning to a nearby chair that alternately served its real purpose and acted as a foot-stool.

Doing as he asked Sonia tried to ignore her blood dripping from her hand to her robe as she sat down. _'In the old days I would have been freaking out about ruining the robe… Good riddance to bad habits!'_ Shaking off the thought she let her eyes sweep the closet-like room. Shelves were stacked to the ceiling, which certainly explained the presence of the chair, all of which were packed with boxes full of odds and ends. In an odd way it vaguely reminded her of a smaller version of Bartleby's attic. Finally she locked her eyes back on the armadillo, studying the way the bands of his 'shell' overlapped on his back. In all honesty it was like nothing she had ever seen; she had never once met an armadillo before Mighty, so she took the opportunity to study the other's appearance.

"Damn it," Mighty muttered as he dug into a particularly deep box, "if Vector hid the hydrogen peroxide again I'm going to hurt him."

Deciding to lighten the mood a little Sonia asked again, "So, as I asked before, why shouldn't I worry about you when I should worry about Vector and his puppy crush?"

Mighty glanced back over his shoulder causing an odd crease in his 'shell' that Sonia hadn't expected, and smirked. "Well you don't have to worry about me because unlike Vector, _I_ have no interest in women."

Sonia stared in surprise at first, she had no idea what she'd been expecting, but it most definitely hadn't been that. "You're gay?"

Mighty laughed, "I prefer to call it 'anti-reproductively inclined', but yeah. Probably part of why Knux doesn't mind me escorting you here and there."

"So he knows?"

"Yup. Ah, here it is," Mighty added as he pulled the hydrogen peroxide out of the box along with a bandage and a few cotton balls. Turning back to her he set up the supplies before extending a hand to her. "If you'll let me…"

Sonia silently gave her hand over to his care, watching as he carefully tended to the wound with a gentleness that belied the strength she could feel in his fingers. _'Like Manic… Maybe that's the reason for his name?' _She'd known other gay people, but only distantly. Amongst the nobles such a thing was frowned upon and hushed up; if you were, people weren't supposed to know. Sonia had never seen any reason why it should be considered bad, but for what she had grown up with it certainly wasn't normal. Even knowing as little as she did, she very strongly doubted that anybody like Mighty would engage in anything resembling 'girl talk'. Besides, he didn't seem the type.

As he began wrapping her hand up in bandages, her curiosity began gnawing at her. It didn't feel right to poke and prod at Mighty by asking ignorant questions that would doubtless be offensive; but neither did she want to just _assume_ and make an even greater blunder. When she spoke it was with caution on the off chance that she might anger the usually cheerful armadillo. "Is there… anybody you're interested in?"

Mighty smiled, "Yeah, but I doubt he's got the same interests. He'd probably just tell me I'm crazy and wander off. What about you Sonia? Anybody caught your eye?" The last was said with a slight eyebrow waggle, causing the princess to laugh in response.

"Well," she muttered as he released her hand, "I'm technically engaged, but I haven't seen him in a while…"

Cocking his head to the side Mighty asked, "Do you still like him?"

"I… don't know," she answered truthfully. A thought struck her at that moment, one which she hadn't even mentioned to anyone else, and before she could stop herself she blurted it out. "But the thing is… I've been having dreams about Knuckles." A moment after she said it she blushed a bright crimson and glanced away.

"Well who wouldn't?" he returned easily, once again surprising her, "I may consider Knux to be like a brother, but even I have to admit that he's got some damned good looks. Only thing keeping him from getting snatched up is his duty and his never-ceasing quest for 'miss right'."

"O-oh? Do you think he has his eyes on anybody in particular?"

Mighty grinned as he stowed away the first aid supplies, "I wouldn't be surprised, and I'm pretty sure their first name begins with 'S' and ends with 'A'."

Red eyes widened as Sonia's blush became more pronounced and she began stammering and stuttering in disbelief. "H-he can't, can he? I-I mean, w-well… th-there's no _way_ he'd like me, I-I'm so… _plain_ and- you c-can't be serious… He likes me?"

Mighty's eyes sparkled in mirth even as he fought down the urge to snicker. "In all honesty, you're the only woman not related to him that I've seen him able to handle for more than five minutes. If he's not smitten or at least headed that way, then there's something wrong with him because I _know_ he doesn't like men. That's probably another reason he's happy with me escorting you," the armadillo winked mischievously; "it means he won't have any competition."

Sonia's blush was so profuse that she could even feel it in the points of her ears. Regardless, she took Mighty's proffered arm and took up his offer to explore the Hidden Palace a bit more until she could control herself. _'At least,'_ she reflected as they left the closet-like room and went on their way, _'I have someone who can sympathize with me.'_ Mighty wasn't exactly what she had ever expected in the way of friends, but she was certainly glad she'd met him.

---

Sonic let out a groan as his weary muscles complained at him. Dropping into a crouch, he soon flopped over onto his back next to the massive tree trunk he'd been helping to move; where, he no longer cared anymore. "Please dear _Goddess_, tell me we're at least half-way done," he moaned raggedly to the others. Espio gave a derisive snort, but otherwise made no reply.

"Come on," Vector laughed as he turned dark orange eyes alight with mirth on the exhausted speedster, "This is the great hero and pest that Knux likes to go on about? I thought you had more oomph than that!"

"I'll have more oomph when I'm dead," Sonic groaned in return, his tone agonized. "To hear Sonia talk, this was supposed to be vacation. What vacation?"

Ray hopped on top of the fallen tree trunk and grinned down at the blue blur. "In Knux-Land it's the vacation of 'You Don't Have to Fear for Your Life- So Be Grateful'. Be glad he's only got you and your bro helping clear away storm debris. It's lighter work than some of the spra- I mean stuff, that we have to deal with," he chuckled, correcting himself as Espio shot him a warning look for his near choice of words. "Besides, Manic doesn't seem to be having nearly as much trouble."

"That's because Manic is an insanely strong freak of nature!"

At that, Manic leapt to the top of the log next to Ray and jokingly glowered at his brother, "Dude, like, in case you hadn't gotten the memo- so are you. I totally don't think you're in any position to criticize me for being stronger than you."

"Yeah you're stronger than me, and that's what makes you a freak," Sonic shot back.

Manic arched an eyebrow before retorting, "Don't make me hide your guitar in plain sight again bro, 'cause you know I will."

"Children," Espio grumbled with a pang of annoyance, "…if we could get this done some time _today_? I am _not_ looking forward to another five hours of trying to argue to any of you that we need to get this done. And- Charmy, get off Vector's head would you? You're supposed to be helping direct us."

"Aww, but Espio," the bee pouted, safely gleeped onto the back of said crocodilian's skull, "We're not doing anything at the moment. Can't I just stay up here until we get started again?"

Hazel eyes narrowed dangerously, glaring at all present as Espio's purple hide rippled with an aggravated red and black shadow. "We've been over this; we're down by two because Mighty's playing field-guide for Sonia and Knuckles is busy meditating. Now either we get this done ASAP, or I am _going_ to start using people for target practice. Therefore: Charmy, get off Vector's head, and Sonic get up and help or I'll let Manic just pick up the entire damned thing like he offered in the first place." Charmy let out a sigh and released Vector's head to flutter into the air as requested.

The threat was apparently sufficient enough for Sonic as he dragged himself to his feet with an agonized groan let out in perfect time with the complaints of his body. As he took up his position next to Espio he grumbled, "I don't know which is worse, you or Sonia." Espio rolled his eyes, which flashed blue for the barest second, but otherwise ignored the comment.

"Don't let Sonia hear that," Manic called back as he hopped back down to the opposite side of the tree trunk, "Sis would totally take your head." Ray glided down after him to take up his position on one side of Manic while Vector resumed his grasp of the rope they were using to tow the debris on the green hedgehog's other side. Within moments the five of them were moving the fallen tree again, directed and encouraged by Charmy from above.

In a way Sonic and Espio had the easier job; all they had to do was make sure that the heavily trimmed tree stayed relatively straight and on course. Manic, Vector, and Ray on the other hand were bearing the brunt of the weight; thus why Manic was in the center as he was the strongest of them. Even so, Sonic couldn't help but think some very creative thoughts born of annoyance at how relatively unfazed Manic was after all that hard work. It wasn't fair that they'd worked so hard and he didn't seem to be showing any signs of exhaustion, damn it!

The empath seemed to pick up on the thought almost immediately, so Sonic couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips when his brother sent him the rather cartoon-y mental image of the log rolling over Bartleby and making a poodle/mink-pancake. It wasn't much, but sympathy was sympathy and that was enough to make Sonic try to push the tree along with renewed vigor. Besides, he could always take out his revenge by griping and complaining at Manic later. With a smirk and that silent promise to himself, Sonic struggled gamely onward- all the while keeping himself pushing by thinking of Bartleby-pancakes. Perhaps that thought was a little too satisfying.

* * *

Here the web begins, this is true, and you know what you must do. Be kind, please review. n.n The caushog demands it.


	2. Strand 2: There is Always Something

Disclaimer: Don't you think if I owned the SU series it'd be a lot more intense and bloody? _And _that Steve Urkel wouldn't have been the voice of Sonic, Sonia, and Manic? Since it isn't, then clearly it doesn't belong to me. All that belongs to me are my own warped ideas, universes, fics, and the various odd crap I come up with. No sue I.

Author's Note: Yay! Fast update! It's a miracle! I'm glad that everybody's liking this one so far, and I've got to say- I'm impressed. Seven reviews on the first chapter when it's been up only for about a week or two? That took me a bit to pick my jaw up from the floor. Clearly I'm doing something right! You'll have to excuse the short chapter, but with any luck the next one will make up for it. In any case prepare for some drama, and as ever and always; read, enjoy, and review.

* * *

Bartleby was brooding in his study; frowning as he thought over the incident of several months previous. Kleptomaniac, for it _had_ been Kleptomaniac who had killed his good friend Alexandre, was still at large. That in and of itself was highly troubling; but the death of Gehmeh and the arrival of her corpse on his doorstep with a note attached was even more disturbing. That note amounted to nothing less than:

_Ivo Robotnik and Bartleby Condammer, you should both know that I _do not_ appreciate having an assassin sent after me. In your case Ivo, if you wanted to employ me as you have so clearly expressed numerous times then that _was not_ the way to do it. If anything my 'no thanks' is even more emphatic than the last I wrote to you. As for Bartleby, you should know better than to stick your nose into other people's business. I strongly suggest that you don't repeat such foolish actions else I might have to consider you a 'threat' to be eliminated. Neither of you should tempt me to end your lives- you wouldn't enjoy the outcome._

_-Kleptomaniac_

Clearly Kleptomaniac was more skilled than even Bartleby had ever expected, though admittedly he hadn't expected Kleptomaniac to actually be the person he had hired Gehmeh to go after. Though he had plenty of reasons of his own to be displeased with those events Robotnik was even more so. The _only_ thing that kept Bartleby Condammer safe from the overlord's wrath was the fact that the poodle/mink crossbreed hadn't been the one to choose the assassin. Had he had the misfortune of being the one to choose Gehmeh to employ, the chances were very high that Bartleby would have been looking at placing his head on a chopping block for immediate execution.

That dark cloud of knowledge hung over his thoughts like a feeling of impending doom; ironic considering the meaning of his last name. Added on top of that was the fact of his beloved Sonia's absence. Bartleby didn't like that she ran about fighting Robotnik at any convenient moment, popping up for a brief while only to vanish again as soon as whatever latest deed was done. He feared for her life, most certainly didn't approve of the company she now kept regardless of the fact it was that of her brothers', and he honestly wished nothing more than for her swift return to his side. Could he but guarantee that Robotnik would do nothing to her if she only took up her rightful status as a noble again, then Bartleby had no trouble admitting to himself that he would very likely demand it of her.

In Bartleby's mind it was exceedingly unfortunate that Sonia, beautifully wild and mysterious Sonia, had brothers that had shared the womb with her at the same time who had become uncouth ruffians unfit to be amongst nobility. Sonic perhaps stood some chance of being browbeaten into appropriate behavior suitable for the prince he was; but _nothing_ could be done to salvage any sense of royalty in Manic. A removed part of his thoughts wondered if it wouldn't have been better to send Gehmeh after Sonic and Manic directly rather than on the off chance that they would get involved in her hunt for Kleptomaniac.

Regardless, the point was moot now. Gehmeh was long since deceased, and now he had the threat of death hanging over his head to prevent the action from being repeated. Of course, were he to hire an assassin to go after the two royal brothers it wouldn't be the same as sending one after Kleptomaniac, but still… The possible repercussions, from either Kleptomaniac _or_ Robotnik for another botched job were, at the very least, highly dissuading. Both Manic and Sonic had an unusual amount of luck aimed at their survival; every instance that he knew of where Robotnik had attempted to kill the two of them had miserably failed. The only good point for their survival was that they had kept Sonia alive.

Bartleby scowled at the paperwork upon his desk. Would he that Sonia didn't have to rely on such uncouth barbarians and was at his side for her own protection! Before meeting her brothers Sonia had been perfect; beautiful, regal, easy of temperament, and noble to the very core of her bones. True, many thought her eye color left something to be desired, but he had only ever found those red eyes fascinating. When all was said and done, Bartleby Condammer feared that Sonia would no longer be the girl he'd known, much less the woman he'd proposed to. His greatest fear, for her, was that she would have been tainted by her brothers' unrestrained barbarism. It didn't help that the other nobles were alternately swinging between, "She's tainted goods, end the engagement while you can," and, "You're her fiancé. You should save her before it's too late."

He quite possibly would have continued glaring a hole in his unfinished paperwork, had not Marietta chosen that moment to intrude upon her lord's thoughts. "Lord Bartleby…," the part-fox maid quietly greeted.

Looking up from his desk he met her inquisitive brown eyes. "Yes Marietta?"

Giving a slight respectful nod in lieu of a more formal mode of body language, she continued. "I thought you would like to know; all searches for Alexandre's son, Sabbathine Esprit, have still come up with nothing. It would appear that whoever took him has it in mind to keep him hidden. Also, there is word that Princess Sonia has once again vanished from sight. None that I have spoken to have any idea where she and her brothers may have gone."

Bartleby gave a pained sigh as he slumped into a chair, drawing a frown from Marietta at his slightly foppish behavior. "Why do I even try anymore Marietta? Why, when I know that chances are that Sonia is lost to me and there is no hope of salvaging the boy that is all that remains of Alexandre's memory?"

Marietta strode over to the other mixed-breed with a silence and grace born of years of doing more than just housework. Taking up a position behind him she placed her chocolaty-brown hands on his shoulders and immediately went to work massaging out the knots of stress. "You continue to try because you're a good man, my lord. You care and worry for your fiancée because you love her so. You continue to search for Sabbathine because he is all that is left of your close friend Alexandre. There is no shame in trying to rescue those that are dear to you."

"Yes, but suppose I have not tried hard enough?"

Her smile was sympathetic, though his back was to her so he could not see, and her fox-tipped hands continued dancing along his shoulders and neck. "You have done more than most would Lord Bartleby. Indeed, most of the nobility would say that you have over-extended yourself in your attempts to keep up with Princess Sonia and your searches for Sabbathine. Employing Gehmeh was a stumble, I will admit, but you will soon right yourself again. You always do."

A weary sigh pulled its way free of the poodle as he forced himself to relax into Marietta's capable hands. "You're a Goddess-sent gift Marietta. You always have been, and many thanks for it. You're right of course. Just because I experience a few set-backs doesn't mean I should give up on either of them; but sometimes it is difficult not to."

She gave a slight chuckle at the compliment, her already fluffy tail fluffing up a bit more in awkward pride. "I do my best for my lord," the part-fox finally replied, "even if it is only in reminding you of yourself." Not for the first time, her gaze softened for him. Sonia might be his fiancée; but it was Marietta who cared for him so much that she only wanted his happiness, and was willing to give him up for it. Had Tahl been around to see how smitten with the noble she'd become, then the street thief would have been shaking her head at her long time friend. Who would have ever thought a former mercenary-turned-maid from Mercia like her could fall for a mixed-breed noble like Bartleby Condammer?

* * *

Robotnik was not pleased. Many would say he was downright enraged by results of Gehmeh's employment. She'd been a capable assassin, reputedly one of the best, and Kleptomaniac had cut her down as though she'd been little more than a laughable diversion. Kleptomaniac, the wild unknown of the world, had slipped through his fingers with little more than a whisper. He'd been so damned _close_ to having control over the monster of the streets, and then the chance was lost. Other wild elements interfered. Kleptomaniac vanished like smoke in the wind, and soon after him the royal triplets had done likewise. Three months had gone by without the slightest hint of their presence. In the case of the triplets it made the overlord certain that they were plotting somewhere; taking a break to think things through before renewing their attack with potentially far more devastating results.

That wouldn't do. Lord Ivo Robotnik had been called many things in the course of his rule, 'paranoid' chief among them, but his obsession and caution had yet to cause him to draw completely inaccurate conclusions. His theories might be off the mark at times, but there was always at least one element that he guessed correctly. Thus, when his mind told him that the royal triplets were in hiding until they could return with an even greater attack, he listened. When his mind suggested that Kleptomaniac might have decided to help them, he chose not to ignore that either. As such he was in a frantic rush to bulk up his already rather impressive security. On top of that he chose to contact and employ anyone that would be a help in bringing down either the triplets, Kleptomaniac, or both. Robotnik would leave nothing to chance.

Spies, mercenaries, assassins, thieves, bounty hunters, thugs; any and all of them would do in his effort to eradicate his enemies. Top on his list to contact were The Mercian Rose, Jewel-Thief Rouge (as well as whomever she might drag into it with her), Fang the Sniper, and the Dragon Demons. All could be deadly if need be, and all were damned hard to get a hold of. The dragons would be the most difficult to persuade, and well he knew it, but if he could get them on his side then the triplets and Kleptomaniac wouldn't stand a chance.

Dragons were rather large and temperamental creatures by nature; they were also one of the few races of Mobius that Robotnik didn't even want to think about having to fight. The group that called themselves the Dragon Demons were even more so; they were a family of war-machines that took to being civil with very few in the world. So far as they cared the affairs of others weren't their concern unless those others made it their concern or were willing to pay for their services. Paying them sufficiently could also be a problem for anybody without the proper funds; the price tag they attached to their work ran a close second to what Rouge demanded for her spy-work. With the dragons, Rouge, Fang, and The Mercian Rose, the price for their work would be well over fifty times what he had offered to Gehmeh. In Robotnik's mind the price was worth it. No threat could be allowed to continue, no enemy allowed to live: he would have them all annihilated before they could become even more of a threat.

* * *

Manic was exploring. Knuckles had no problem with the thief doing that, within reason, and of course had let the empath know due to thinking 'loudly' that some places were strictly off limits. Manic chose to heed those silent warnings rather than risk offending his friend; especially since it had already been somewhat difficult to get the echidna to fully relax around him as he used to. Speaking of Knuckles, 'Operation: Princess and Guardian Set-Up' had been a rousing success so far and had been helped along immensely courtesy of an unwittingly obliging armadillo. In fact Mighty's involvement had somewhat changed the nature of 'Phase Two'.

Rather than harassing their sister into another near bout of fratricide, and thus forcing Knuckles to find something with which to keep them occupied, both Sonic and Manic had chosen to take a break. Whereas Manic felt the somewhat restless need to explore, thus the reasoning behind his current tunnel wandering, Sonic had begged off on the basis of 'echidna induced exhaustion'. In all honesty it had more to do with being woken up at the crack of dawn by a certain bee than through any fault of the guardian.

Nonetheless, Sonic had quite firmly decided that Knuckles _had_ to be encouraging Charmy to exact some bizarre sense of vengeance for no clearly defined motive. Manic had chosen not to disabuse his brother of the notion. So long as Sonic kept the blame of it off the thief-prince who was the actual cause, he was quite happy to keep his mouth shut. After all, why let Sonic off the hook so easily for that damned caterwauling which had left him with rather persistent nightmares? Ergo, there was no need to tell Sonic that he'd basically told Charmy that Sonic liked being woken up early.

During the four days the triplets had been on the Floating Island they had each found they got along uncommonly well with at least one of the Chaotix. For Sonia it had been Mighty. For Sonic it had been Ray. In Manic's case, he couldn't seem to go anywhere without Charmy being there the _moment_ he turned around. Of course the fact that Charmy was absolutely fascinated with the green hedgehog and had a habit of asking near-ceaseless questions was a great deal more preferable than Espio's tendency to skulk around and watch him suspiciously. Speaking of which, Manic could feel the invisible chameleon watching him as he turned down a tunnel that was dimly lit by glowing blue moss.

The thief-prince gave a sigh. Ever since Knuckles had made it clear to the Chaotix that he was a thief, Espio had taken it upon himself to stalk Manic to make sure that he behaved himself. Manic had to give him credit, he could have easily followed anybody that wasn't an empath and hadn't grown up in the conditions he had without giving them the slightest hint of his presence. However, since Manic _had_ grown up on the streets and was also an empath he was beginning to find Espio's continuous stalking annoying. _'More damned annoying than that time that Qet and Tahl refused to talk to me for three days except for writing spraint on signs.'_

Coming to a sudden stop, Manic heard the slightest scuff of a foot (on the ceiling?) as the chameleon pulled up short. Espio had just narrowly avoided crashing into the back of the other's head; and well Manic knew it as he saw the view from Espio's eyes. "I'm not gonna steal anything you know," Manic stated, unable to keep the smirk from tugging at his lips as a wave of surprise rippled through the reptile's mind. "If anything, I'm more interested in keeping my head attached to my shoulders if you catch my drift. 'Sides, between you, Knux, and Sonia, I'd get totally skewered."

Espio remained silent, internally debating as to whether Manic was bluffing or actually _knew_ he was there. There was only one person that he knew for a fact could find him when he didn't want to be found. If it had been Knuckles that he was following around he would have dropped his camouflage right then. The possibility of Manic having the abilities needed to pick him out unnerved him. Suppose then that Manic _was_ just bluffing; what had led him to suspect that he was being followed? A frown flickered across Espio's invisible features.

Manic continued on as nonchalant as he had been before. "Whatever I may sound like and play myself as, I'm a hell of a lot smarter than I let on- just in case you were curious. I'm what's known as 'an honorable thief' on the mainland. Translation: I don't steal from my friends or people that can't afford it. So you don't have to worry about me doing anything up here. The biggest thing I'm interested in is getting my sis to dump her fiancé."

'_Definitely not bluffing.'_ Espio dropped to the floor behind Manic and let his coloration return to its more normal hues, even if they were a touch frosty. "How did you know I was here?" he asked; his tone cold.

"Did Knux forget to mention I'm an empath?"

"You're a _what?!_"

Manic turned to meet eyes that were currently as golden as his own. When he next spoke, it was without the accent. "Maybe you should ask Knux. I know you trust him more than you're ever going to trust me- and yes, he knows everything… _pertinent_ about me." With that statement he turned and walked off, leaving a stunned chameleon in his wake.

The first words out of Espio's mouth the moment he found the current Guardian were, "Knuckles, we need to talk." He didn't care that Knuckles was coming up from the Guardians' Lair where the other deceased or not-so-deceased former Guardians dwelled. It wasn't Espio's habit to bother his friend after he'd been communing with his ancestors, in fact he was typically downright respectful and avoided going anywhere near the area unless he'd been invited; but this time he truly didn't care.

Knuckles took in the sight of the chameleon as irate black and red shadows chased each other across Espio's skin. His worry was as evident in the reoccurring patterns as the expression on his face. "What's the problem Espio?"

"Manic."

The echidna gave a sigh. He had suspected that if any would have a problem with the thief prince, other Guardians aside, that it would be Espio. "What about him?"

Espio's next words were an enraged snarl; a flare of defensive temper for the place he called home. "He's an _empath_."

"And?"

"You said nothing of the sort. It's bad enough that you allow a thief on the island, but one that just happens to be an empath?! It's not my place to criticize, but don't you think that's a little irresponsible?"

Purple eyes narrowed at the indirect challenge even as Knuckles registered the other's concern for what it was. Regardless of that understanding, the echidna's voice took on a sharp edge. "No, it isn't your place. I've been having the same argument with my father, and frankly I don't care to have it out with _you_. However I will tell you what I told him; Manic is an _empath_… and a damned powerful one. He picks up on _emotions_ and mental images. The very fact that his mind is centered on emotions means he's actually one of the _least_ likely to do anything detrimental to this island."

"Knuckles… he's a _thief_, you said it yourself."

"…To make a point. I wouldn't have allowed him up here if I didn't feel I could trust him to some degree."

Purple skin darkened as did the chameleon's tone, "There's more to it than that. I _know_ you know what I'm talking about. I would hope, being among your most trusted friends, that you would be able to explain why in the _hell_ he's hiding behind a fake accent!"

Knuckles twitched, _'Yiffing hell Manic, did you _have_ to let him know _that_?'_ The echidna met Espio's angry gaze evenly. "He has his reasons Espio… it's complicated."

"How?"

"It's complicated like _your_ past is complicated Espio. It's better off if you don't know." Knuckles shouldered his way past the chameleon in the tunnel to head back to more public territory, but stopped when Espio's hand caught his shoulder.

"Knuckles… _demsön_, shouldn't your _family_ be allowed to know what you know? Wasn't that what you once told us back when you thought you were the last of-" Knuckles froze when he heard the echidna word for 'brother' from his friend, but forced himself to let out the breath that had caught in his throat.

"…I thought we agreed not to remind me of that time."

"Well you thought you were the last echidna, and for a damned good reason," Espio snapped aggressively as the red monotreme finally turned to face him. "You said you would keep nothing from your _demsönlia _without good reason! At least give me reason enough to understand!"

Violet eyes met hazel grimly. "The best explanation is… Mighty would call him a 'soul reaver'… Mercian meaning of course, you know the one."

Espio frowned, "'One who martyrs their soul for the sake of others'? But what could Manic be robbing from himself that would earn him that title?"

"The chance to be honest with those he cares for." With that said Knuckles walked off, leaving Espio in his wake to muddle through his thoughts on his own.

* * *

Push the button and review already. You know you want to. The review fairy demands it! …Or would that be the review god?


	3. Strand 3: To Complicate Things

Disclaimer: Again, if I owned SU a lot of the characters would be a lot more bad-ass and we wouldn't have ever had to suffer the Steve Urkel voice-overs that the series has. I also don't own the random Sega/Archie characters that I've pulled in to make this fic even more interesting and complicated. I own my own crap and nothing else, so chances are if you try to sue me it'll fail… miserably.

Author's Note: WOOT! Five reviews for one chapter! Granted, it's less than the number of reviews for the first chapter, but it makes me happy all the same. As for the various questions and ideas posed in the reviews… -cackles maniacally- You'll just have to wait and see where this goes. Oh yeah, and random spoiler for this chapter just because I feel like being obnoxious- you're going to see another hedgehog show up. You'll see what I mean when you get there. As ever and always read, enjoy, review, and all that other crap. The caushog demands it!

* * *

He thought about it. He thought about it long and hard over the course of a couple of weeks; all the while keeping an eye on Manic and watching how he acted. Amongst moments of laughing with his brother or generally acting like he was having a good time, there were moments where Sonic or Sonia would give Manic a look of concern. That wasn't what had Espio fascinated to such a high level of curiosity; no, it was how the thief-prince _reacted_ to such subtle cues. Those reactions were just as subtle, if not more so. The façade Manic presented was so perfect as to be almost flawless.

There was _one_ rather obvious crack in the thief's armor that Espio became aware of in the course of his observation, and it was this: his eyes. Manic's eyes gave away almost every flicker of his mood, every emotion and reaction stood out in bold in the thief-prince's gaze. The only thing that kept those emotions hidden and protected so that he couldn't be read was the fact that they went by in such a rapid-fire succession that it was impossible for most people to fully register them all. Espio had no such problem. Judging by the way that Sonic would occasionally glance at Manic, the blue hedgehog didn't have that problem either. Maybe he'd have to let his estimation of Sonic's intelligence go up a couple notches.

Brushing aside the thought, Espio chose to stop staring off into space in Manic's general direction from his position on the couch. It was then that, past the half-finished drawing he'd been working on for three hours, Espio became aware of pouting armadillo sitting in front of him. The chameleon immediately flinched back- startled to see those brilliant (and accusing) blue eyes aimed at him, before he let out an aggravated sigh and scowled at Mighty. Vector promptly began snickering only to beat a hasty retreat out of the living room so as not to incur Espio's wrath; wisely choosing to take a certain hyperactive bee with him in the process. What few others that were in the room made the intelligent decision to remain silent, for their own sake.

Espio continued scowling at the pouting armadillo. Mighty made no move to budge. Espio's eyes narrowed in a form of silent threat. Mighty returned the look with a glower of his own. They sat there for several long moments with their eyes locked, neither willing to give an inch despite the fact that they had Knuckles, Sonic, and Manic as an audience. Finally Espio broke the silence, "If you keep looking at me like that, I will hurt you. I mean it Mighty."

Mighty gave a snort as he snapped out, "I know you wouldn't go through with it." Espio twitched; a sign that Mighty was right, but that Espio didn't want to admit that fact. Blue eyes brightened in amusement as a smirk slowly crept onto the armadillo's face. With a beaming grin he added, "Besides, I think we both know that I'm the one that shouldn't be pissed off, right?"

Manic's eyebrows rocketed up in surprise at what he was 'hearing' from the armadillo's mind quicker than he'd ever thought physically possible for himself. Sonic gave him a quizzical look at his reaction, but Manic's gaze was on Knuckles. The echidna only rolled his eyes in answer. Questioning nudges from Sonic's mind prodded at Manic, only for the empath to deliberately send a message amounting to _'later'_.

Espio's unenthused scowl was focused on the Mercian armadillo in full force. "If you weren't my friend I'd skin you alive."

Mighty laughed as he got up and walked out of the room, calling back over his shoulder; "_Tos lae mehhr che vela lal'n raohs, Espio_." The chameleon stayed for only a few moments longer before setting aside his artwork to stalk off elsewhere.

Once they were alone, Sonic spoke. "Okay, what the hell was that?"

"He said, 'I would like to see you try'," Manic readily supplied; drawing an arched eyebrow from the Guardian.

"Since when do you know Mercian?"

"Mercian?" Sonic echoed in confusion before he turned to his brother, "You know Mercian?"

Manic nodded in reply, "I grew up with it. There are a few people in my group of friends that are Mercian, and I've been to Mercia about… fifteen times? My friend Tahl had connections all over the place."

As Sonic wrestled with the surprise of finding out that his brother was at least bi-lingual (yet another precious detail that he'd forgotten to mention more out of habit than anything else); Knuckles shook his head, "Manic, you are, without a doubt, the most bizarre person I've ever met."

"Tell me something I don't know."

...

Sonic didn't get a chance to ask about Manic's peculiar reaction until later that night. In fact he had completely forgotten about it until they were settling down for the night. It was a fortunate thing that the two of them were sharing a room during their stay in the Hidden Palace. Sonic had been staring at the ceiling, wondering all the while how the echidnas had ever made it so that there were ripples of water-like shadow and light playing across its surface when there was no clear source of light in the first place. It was when he chanced a look at his brother who was fiddling with something that he remembered.

Green eyes locked on the thief-prince as Sonic propped himself up on an elbow; watching his brother as he wrestled a wire loose from the small and circular mirror-thing in his hands. It was thick, and it actually looked like there was a space in the middle of it, filled with machinery. _'Almost like a mirror-and-tech oreo.'_ Manic glanced up at him at the bizarre image that thought conjured and raised an eyebrow. Without bothering to answer Manic's unspoken question, Sonic asked, "What are you doing?"

Yellow eyes considered him for a moment before the thief shrugged. "Not exactly tired yet, so I'm fixing one of my weird creations." Holding it up so that Sonic could see, he added, "Pretty damned handy in stopping lasers so that alarms and spraint don't get tripped."

"…You're focusing on that when we're on 'vacation'?" Manic pulled a face in response. "Ha ha, very funny."

"I thought so," the thief smirked before he went back to meticulously pulling his creation apart. In a moment another wire was freed and he began applying a small screwdriver to his work. Sonic allowed himself to get distracted in his effort to get answers only long enough to reflect that he hadn't thought it was possible for a screwdriver to be made that small.

"So…"

"Hm?"

"What was that reaction of yours about earlier?"

A slight snort came from the thief-prince, but it contained a hint of amusement. "Mighty's mind is an interesting voice to tune in to."

The blue hedgehog arched an eyebrow, "Okay… I know I'm probably going to regret asking this; but what do you mean by that?" Never mind that he understood perfectly what Manic's 'listening' to others meant.

Golden amber eyes darted back up to look at Sonic evenly. Just the barest hint of a smile tugged at his lips, knowing that he was going to make his brother uncomfortable with his next words. "And regret it you shall," Manic grinned, speaking with a more upper-class accent, one of the many he'd gained mastery over during the years. Dropping into his true accent again, he continued. "Remember that dream you had, and the image you sent me that one time, about Knux?"

Sonic's eyes went wide as he tried to disappear into the sheets of his bed. "I thought we agreed not to bring that up? Ever?" Manic burst into a fit of laughter, unable to help himself. Sonic immediately retaliated by throwing his pillow across the room at his brother's head. Manic caught it… naturally. "It's not funny! It's not!"

"Pft! Sonic, bro, stop being such a priss. It's your fault for broadcasting that spraint into my head in the first place. If you didn't want me pokin' fun at you for having a _hot_… _steamy_… dream about Knux, then you shouldn't have sent me the image in the first place dipstick." Another amused cackle pulled itself from Manic as Sonic's cheeks colored in a flustered blush. There were just some times where Sonic had to admit that he did incredibly stupid things without thinking them through; broadcasting that image into Manic's head had been one of them. Fortunately the thief quickly waved aside the awkwardness of the situation to continue on with his point. "So okay, you have a slight crush on Knux, no big deal. Reason I bring it up is because what surprised me so much about Mighty's thoughts is along the same vein… for Espio… times fifty-thousand."

Sonic stared at Manic in something akin to shock. On one hand what the thief picked up, he hadn't suspected of the armadillo; but on the other hand the way Manic was so laid back about just stating it was weird. "…You're saying Mighty likes Espio…"

"Mighty likes Espio so damned much that he was getting jealous when Espio was staring off into space at me. We're talking not just having the hots for him; we're talking Mighty is so damned sappy-hearted-smitten with him that Espio's probably the only person he ever dreams about at night. Your dream about Knux? Nothing but a hormone-driven crush on a guy because you just happen to think he's damned attractive. The sort of crush that boils down to probably being the 'only guy you ever crush on in your life' type of crush. What Mighty has for Espio? That's more like the 'wanting to spend his entire life with the guy' type of crush. Get me?"

Silence stretched between the two of them for a while as Sonic digested that information. "…And you're relaxed about saying all this… why?"

Manic shrugged nonchalantly. "Guys crushing on guys or girls crushing on girls are no big deal for me. Hell, Tahl was gay. Didn't bother me one bit; just one more variation on the spectrum."

Yet again, Sonic found himself staring at his brother like he'd grown another head. Before he could stop himself he blurted out, "Tahl was gay?"

"Yeah, she had a string of girlfriends a block long. Unfortunately a lot of them didn't work out too well, personality differences and all that spraint. The one that actually did work out decently just didn't last that long since neither of them wanted a long-distance relationship. Kind of hard to keep a good relationship going when one person is in Mercia and the other's on the main continent." Manic shook his head as if the subject were a worn out one. "Didn't help that Tahl had a bad habit of being a flirt. Only damned echidna that I ever knew of that would flirt with a dragon. Of course, until Knux she was the _only _echidna I knew."

"A dragon."

"Yup, a dragon. One of the big ones too. Not like they could do anything, but Tahl flirted with her anyway, and she flirted right back. Weirdest thing I've ever seen; and trust me when I say that I've seen some weird things."

Sonic massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on as he tried to wrap his brain around what Manic had told him. Collapsing back into the bed and pulling the sheets up almost over his head, the blue hedgehog spoke again, "You know what? I'm going to sleep. If I think this over too much my brain is going to explode. So goodnight, and don't stay up too late."

"Will do," the thief replied as he dimmed his bedside lamp before shoving what he'd been working on into his fanny-pack. It could wait until tomorrow after all. Maybe by then Sonic would be able to think things through coherently instead of in the sleep-inducing jumble that Manic was picking up from him. The one thing he felt grateful for was that Sonic's mind hadn't even paused to ask any more personal questions. There were just some details of his life that he didn't feel like revealing until later. With that thought rippling through his mind, Manic settled down and turned out the light. Hopefully he wouldn't wander into Sonic's mind while they were asleep.

* * *

Negotiations were always so critical- _'Especially if you want the work done _right_,'_ Robotnik reflected as he eyed the first three that had turned up to hear him out. Nack had practically jumped at the chance to have a new target with a hefty price tag attached. It hadn't taken much to get the weasel almost beating down his door. So far he'd been somewhat rude from the moment he walked in the door; an excusable tendency since he'd proven to be reliable on more than one occasion. As such, when the weasel had darted a look at Sleet and Dingo and said the first words that popped into his head, "Damned if you aren't some of the ugliest bitches I've ever seen," Robotnik let it slide. He didn't care what racist terms got flung around just so long as he could get what he wanted out of the situation. Of course, naturally, he'd had to threaten his lackeys with bodily harm so they wouldn't pursue the weasel's insult.

It was when Rouge sauntered in with her escort of a black and red hedgehog that the overlord's blood ran cold. Everyone knew that Robotnik despised hedgehogs with a flaming passion, but neither Rouge nor the silent hedgehog with her seemed to care. She simply strode into the room like she owned the place and took a seat in front of his desk while the dark hedgehog parked himself against a patch of wall nearby. Dingo stood in a corner with his jaw dropped and his eyes as wide as they could possibly go, unable to tear his gaze from the curvaceous bat. Sleet silently stood next to him, but his look was one of disgust. Leaning forward onto the desk with the slightest grin, Rouge asked, "You wanted to speak with me about something?" Even Nack had a hard time not letting his eyes wander to her more-than-ample chest.

Robotnik gave the slightest huff before motioning to Rouge's silent companion. "Yes, but might I ask who _he_ is before we proceed?"

A taunting smile eased its way onto Rouge's face. "Oh… him? He's just a darling friend of mine. You might say I picked him up somewhere. Nothing special." Never mind that everyone in the room _knew_ that if she had chosen to bring him to this meeting then he was certainly 'special'. A derisive snort came from the black and red beast as his blood red eyes narrowed condescendingly.

"A name, if you please?" Robotnik pressed with barely controlled anger.

Rouge gave an unimpressed sigh before turning her attention to her foreboding compatriot. "Be a darling and give him a name so that we can actually get to the point of this meeting."

Red eyes glowered contemptuously at the human before he spoke in a fluid, though darkly accented voice, "Shadow." Nack let out a low whistle as he finally tore his eyes away from Rouge to let them rest on Shadow. Having called attention to himself by giving out his name had given the others more room to comfortably take in his appearance; a fact which he was clearly not thrilled about.

Robotnik arched an eyebrow, "Shadow? That's it?"

The dark hedgehog gave a snort in return. "It's just Shadow. If you don't like it, too bad for you… _kisama_." Rouge darted him a warning look, but he made no move to apologize for the foreign insult.

"Pay him no mind, he's always this moody," Rouge stated, quickly elbowing Nack in the stomach once his eyes started to look the hedgehog up and down. She knew how touchy her 'friend' was; if Shadow thought for a moment that someone was eyeing him like a piece of meat he'd walk out without so much as a 'have a nice day', and then there would be no telling when he'd come back. Nack scowled at her for winding him, but turned his attention back to the human that had contacted them. "So now then, Lord Robotnik, you said something about a job that might have a hefty reward?" she grinned.

"There are three royals that are being a thorn in my side. I need to know where they are, what they're planning, and if possible, I need them eliminated."

"Any details we should be knowin' about?" Nack asked while he took off his hat to adjust a pin.

"They're triplets, three hedgehogs. They're also allied with the Guardian of the Floating Island."

The purple weasel let out an annoyed huff, narrowly avoiding pricking his finger as he said, "Great, possibly a mid-air mission. Since I've gotta ask it, word is on the street that we're not the only ones you're planning on hiring on for this. So what's so dangerous 'bout these hedgehogs that you need to get multiple big guns to take 'em out?"

Robotnik's eyes narrowed in a mixture of fury and distaste. "They're not natural for one thing. The other thing is that they might have someone known as 'Kleptomaniac' working for them."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa- time out!" Rouge blurted as her hands immediately made the shape of a T. "Kleptomaniac? _The_ Kleptomaniac? You didn't say _anything_ about that nutcase being involved in this. You want somebody to do a sniper job, fine, get Nack to do it. _I'm_ not going to put _my_ life on the line by taking the risk of killing someone. The weasel here can do all of that business himself. I'll do spy-work for you, but that's it."

"And your companion?"

"…Your negotiations aren't with me, they're with _her_. I just happen to work with Rouge; nothing more, nothing less," Shadow replied coldly. "If she won't kill anyone, I won't either." The victorious smirk that slid onto Rouge's face was enough to let everyone else know that she was pleased with the hedgehog's attitude and wasn't above gloating about it.

"So, what? You're Rouge's official lap-dog?" Nack's offensive question was met with a blood-red glower that promised death the _instant_ that the dark hedgehog was alone with the weasel.

Before things could escalate out of control, Rouge intervened. "I'm presuming you've got more than just that reason for calling me here. Perhaps something that might throw a little bonus my way?"

Robotnik's scowl nearly increased ten-fold, but it was true. Both the Dragon Demons and the Mercian Rose were hard to find. Even if he could find them on his own, he needed someone that they would be willing to negotiate with- which automatically ruled out Nack as a possibility. Nack was never known for his tact, so if he was sent to find the others it would be almost guaranteed that the offer would be rejected. Therein lay the reason for Rouge's confidence and flippant attitude. She was irritating and offensive to the overlord _because she knew she could get away with it_.

"The Mercian Rose and the Dragon Demons. I want them on this task as well. You're the one I'm trusting to find and negotiate with them, Rouge. Do _not_ draw unwanted attention when you contact them- or your pay will be cut by half."

Her wings flared in rage, her ears quivering in her fight to keep them up at a polite tilt. None ever _dared_ insinuate that she couldn't accomplish a job she'd been given. It was offensive to her pride and would have been, were the price for the job any less, grounds for her to quit and stalk out the door in a huff. "I'll find them and get them signed on, don't you worry about that- but don't insult my capabilities Robotnik. It isn't polite to tarnish the character of a refined lady like myself." Shadow gave a snort that, had he not been brooding only moments before, could have easily been mistaken as a hint of laughter. Rouge ignored him.

"Then we understand each other perfectly," Robotnik gave an unsettling smile in response.

"Apparently." Getting to her feet she stated, "I expect half of my payment upfront when I get the Mercian Rose and the Dragon Demons on board."

"You'll have it." Rouge nodded brusquely and headed for the door. Shadow detached himself from the wall as she walked past and followed.

There was a moment of silence after the door slammed shut behind them, then- "Daaaamn… She's still as pissy as ever, but between her and that 'Shadow'… they could make some serious money." Nack's expression became slightly befuddled when Sleet, Dingo, and Robotnik looked more disgusted than anything at the thought. "What? You don't think so?"

Pushing down the urge to vomit, Robotnik rumbled out, "Now then, on to specific details of your part of this job…"

* * *

"The _nerve_ of that man! What kind of woman does he think I am?" Rouge fumed as she stalked down the hall with her wings flared, Shadow at her heals and looking rather bored.

"As I recall, you're the one who said he was a 'quadruple-chinned gargantuan technophile with a disposition as offensive as his appearance'," Shadow calmly stated, if perhaps a touch smugly.

Once outside both of them angled toward the hover car they'd arrived in, in a show from the thief that she came with peaceful intentions. Rouge waited until they'd both climbed into the hover car and were on their way before she snapped out her reply. "And as _I_ recall Shadow, that offensive bastard is the triple-great grandson of your 'grandfather'. How does it feel to know that your family has fallen so far?"

A scowl slid onto the dark hedgehog's face, a crimson glare aimed at the bat. "That _fool_ is no relative of mine, _bat_. He's an aberration. Gerald and Maria would have _never_ accepted him as kin. Neither will I. Take care that you remember it- _and _the reason I stay around you."

Rouge knew the hedgehog's reasoning very well. Despite her harsh words, she was rather fond of her unusual friend. She was also aware that Shadow wasn't deliberately callous to her mood. Her ears flicked back into an apologetic dip for the barest moment; enough for Shadow to catch it. "Sorry, I shouldn't have taken my temper out on you. That asshole just pisses me off." Shadow's glower changed directions; now it was more aimed at his own past and the impression Robotnik had left him with.

From what Shadow had told Rouge about his 'family' the hedgehog was right; Professor Gerald and Maria would have been ashamed to share blood with Robotnik. Though Rouge was cautious about humans, she was by no means racist. It was just an unfortunate thing that most of her run-ins with humans had been unpleasant. In view of that fact, it made her friendship with Shadow all the more peculiar. Shadow had been raised by humans. Not only that, but he'd been _created_ by them.

Genetic engineering had been legally forbidden almost everywhere on Mobius for close to a century. That Shadow had been created a little over half-a-century ago was evidence enough as to why his world had been torn apart. Shadow's very existence had been viewed as a threat; mainly due to the fact that he wasn't a normal hedgehog by any means. As such a special division of the military, known as GUN, from Overland (purely human territory) had been sent to eliminate the 'terrorist' Gerald Robotnik and everyone else that knew of Project: SHADOW. The only one to escape had been Shadow, but not before he saw both his grandfather and his older sister gunned down before his eyes. He was on the run for only a brief time, however. Being unacquainted with Mobius, as he'd spent his entire life up to that point on a space station, Shadow had been caught by the Overland military within a week of his escape. He hadn't been hard to find since he hadn't known the meaning of 'laying low' back in those days.

Naturally the first thing the humans tried to do was kill him. They very quickly found out that it was near impossible. Shadow hadn't been called 'the Ultimate Life-Form' in Gerald's notes for nothing. So the overlanders did the next best thing: they tranked and locked him in cryo-stasis. That led up to when Rouge found him.

By that point Project: SHADOW was all but forgotten, as well as the military base where the hedgehog had been imprisoned. Rouge, ever on the watch for a way to get a little extra money, had overheard a conversation between a former GUN official and the current head of GUN. From there she heard mention of Project: SHADOW, but not what it was aside from "the ultimate weapon". Smelling an opportunity to gain a large amount of profit, the bat snooped around. Tracing it back to the specific base, she had expected a machine or gem of some sort.

What she found instead was the hedgehog in the passenger seat of her car. The research and notes on Shadow had been easy to steal from the decrepit computers. Breaking Shadow out had been the difficult part. It was impulse that caused her to drain the fluid of the tube before prying it open. From there it had been a matter of waking him up and escaping before the old alarm systems could become active.

Getting anything out of Shadow had been almost as difficult as pulling teeth, but after a while Rouge succeeded. Since then she and the hedgehog had been almost inseparable. He provided her with a strong-arm and she gave him guidance in a world he was unfamiliar with. Their relationship was on a purely friendship basis however; Rouge had learned her lesson about getting together with moody and dark hedgehogs with her last boyfriend. The way that relationship ended had been a fiasco and she didn't care to have a repeat of it. So, regardless of how attractive she found Shadow to be, she had no desire to get involved with him on a more intimate level. _'I'd sooner kiss Robotnik than have a repeat of that damned bastard.'_ For the rest of the drive both she and Shadow were silent.

* * *

Review if you please, and the caushog will be appeased, for reviews make the caushog happy, and end crappy poems like this made of cheese.


	4. Strand 4: Further

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, I don't own Sonic or anything related to Sonic except my own characters, not making money on this, no sue I, etc. etc. etc. You get the drift. You want to use some of my characters? Ask me and give credit where credit is due. Simple enough? Good!

Author's Note: u.u; Yes, I know, chapter 4 has taken me an ungodly long time. There are several reasons for that- 1) college, 2) time-consuming classes, 3) a drag show I was involved in as Captain Hook (of Peter Pan fame, not that you care), and 4) no internet at home. All of that adds up to I simply didn't have that much time to spend getting this chapter up to my specifications (until recently anyway). But now I have, it's done, and I hope you enjoy the results. At least this is a comparatively early update (instead of having to wait for about sixteen more days). Many thanks for all of your patience (you can put those pitchforks and torches away now), and hopefully I'll be able to get up the next chapter far more quickly. Read, enjoy, review and all that other fun BS! n.n Or I'll have Robotnik in a pink frilly tutu stalk your nightmares.

* * *

Espio watched in silence as Manic put himself through his paces with his daggers. The hedgehog was quick and highly skilled, which did little to ease the chameleon's paranoia. Still, he didn't bother thinking it over. If there was one thing he had learned in Mercia, where empaths were concerned having a blank mind was just as good a camouflage as his own natural capabilities- especially if said empath was as intensely focused as the thief-prince. He could worry about what he learned from his spying at a later point. So he watched as Manic effortlessly whipped through a series of movements that were as graceful as a dance, but highly lethal. Why would the thief need to know how to kill? Furthermore, there was a nagging familiarity to some of those movements…

Brushing aside those thoughts, Espio gave vent to a scowl. He _could not_ afford to broadcast his presence just yet, not when he was so close to figuring out why Manic set off loud warning bells in his mind (aside from the obvious). Carefully shifting his position in the tree branches to be more comfortable, Espio continued watching, trusting that the winds whipping by would hide both his scent and the muted sound of his movements.

Slowly Manic's rapid-fire movements wound down to a slower, and far more natural, pace. As he finally came to a stop and sheathed his daggers, Manic muttered something in Mercian, causing Espio to give an irrepressible twitch of distaste. Old habits died hard. "Life for its own worth…" Espio knew the rest of the phrase, the ritualistic tones implied, but he had heard that same phrase twisted to suit monstrous means far too many times to feel the calm it was supposed to bring.

'_Think of nothing. Feel nothing. There is air, space, and calm and no need to let him know I'm here.'_ Somehow his own meditative mantra seemed to be a bit less helpful than it had been before Manic spoke.

Dropping to sit on the hill he stood on, Manic gave a stretch. It had been a while since he'd gone through some decent blade-practice, and it was a welcome relief from the tension he'd been hiding from everyone. Tension, of course, brought restlessness; and that, combined with peace and quiet, had never sat well with him. The exertion of blade-practice made the silence easier. _'Speaking of restlessness…' _Espio's attitude about him hadn't improved much to his knowledge, but the chameleon was considerably less hostile toward him. He didn't know what had caused it, and he didn't particularly feel like poking around in the chameleon's head uninvited in order to find out. Whatever it was, for the most part things had been quiet for the past week where Espio was concerned. Manic tried not to let it bother him; regardless of how much his instincts tried to tell him that it was the calm before a storm. Trying to ignore the emotional complications that were flying around on the island was another pain in the ass to deal with. All of the plotting involved… Trying to set Sonia up with Knux… Knowing that Mighty had an infatuation with Espio… Manic shook his head as his own past leapt into his thoughts.

He hadn't told either Sonic or Sonia, but he'd been in a relationship before; one that ended disastrously. Just thinking about it made him wince. _'Tahl was right. It worked out about as well as a rocket flying into a cliff.'_ A slightly sad smile tugged at his lips. There were a lot of things Tahl had been right about. Tahl had been right about his relationship, she had been right about the fact that his empathy would get him in no end of trouble, and she had been right when she said that he couldn't escape life with his hands completely blood-less. She might not have been precognitive, but she had certainly been observant enough to be so. "Hm… I wonder if she ever would have foreseen this?"

Espio frowned, uncertain if he'd heard Manic correctly, when suddenly he heard a familiar buzzing…

"Hiiii Manic!" Charmy greeted cheerfully as he rocketed toward the hedgehog's face. Manic just barely managed to bring his arms up fast enough to prevent the torpedo-bee from smashing into him.

"Hi Charmy," Manic replied as he shook his head in amusement. In the brief time since Charmy decided that the thief was his new best friend he'd been doing almost everything he could to try and sneak up on him- as of yet, unsuccessfully.

"What'cha doin'?"

Manic slowly raised an eyebrow. "Thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"…Has Sonic woken up yet?"

"Oh yeah! Bye now! I gotta wake him up," Charmy squealed and rocketed off on his devious mission of hedgehog torture.

The thief-prince was silent for a few moments, and then started laughing. "Oh man… Sonic ever finds out I keep on setting him up like that and he's going to kill me…"

Deciding that now was as good a time as any, Espio dropped from the tree and phased into visibility. "So you make it a habit to torment your siblings?" he asked, clearly startling the hedgehog with his unexpected presence. _'Good. He didn't notice how long I've been here.'_ That at least was some level of comfort, making his time in Mercia not completely worthless.

Yellow eyes darted to the chameleon and rapidly shifted into an unenthused look. Manic's hands had been reaching for his daggers on reflex until he registered who it was. Without even bothering to use his false accent, he grumbled out, "Only when they annoy me. You can't honestly tell me that you don't get revenge on any of your 'brothers' if they set you off."

A derisive snort. "Why do you hide behind an accent?"

"…Blunt and to the point, aren't you?"

"Where my home is concerned, yes."

Manic gave an aggravated sigh, "I'm _not_ going to steal anything. I'm not going to try to kill your home. You are a paranoid pain-in-the-neck, and you're _really_ getting on my nerves with your stalking me. You want to know about me? Fine. I'm a thief, an empath, a prince, my full name and titles are apparently Crown Prince Manic Sarashi Devonian Jules of the Royal House of Hedgehog, I was born on the 23rd of June, I'm a Cancer, and I have the ability to annoy the hell out of my sibs. Anything _else_ you want to know, oh-paranoid-one?"

Espio arched an eyeridge and regarded the thief-prince silently for a moment. "Clever way to dodge my question."

"I thought so," Manic grinned back.

"I hope you realize how thoroughly unsettling you are," Espio stated tersely, unwilling to completely let his guard down. This was the test; prodding at the thief's boundaries in the hopes that he could gain some kind of clarification as to _why_ Knuckles trusted him so much. In Espio's experience both thieves and empaths were nothing but trouble. A person who was both… It was something he would have never even _wanted_ to think about if he had been given a choice.

Manic was silent for a few moments as a swift breeze whipped past him, lacing through his fur in the process. When he deigned to reply, his answer was quiet, calm, and held a slight trace of old pain. "Espio, in case you hadn't noticed- I unsettle a lot of people. Sometimes I even unsettle myself." Before the chameleon could even think of a response to that, the green hedgehog stood and began walking off. "I'm going to explore a bit. I need some air. Oh yeah, and if an earthquake hits- it wasn't me," he called back over his shoulder.

Espio scowled, but stayed where he was as Manic retreated into one of the Island's forests. Manic's answer hadn't been anything like what he'd assumed, but it was enough to hint at the reason for the Guardian's trust in him. He was a puzzle, but now he was a puzzle that made some form of sense. Knuckles said that Manic was a soul-reaver; the thief-prince's words had finally confirmed that Espio's adoptive brother wasn't mistaken.

Almost all soul-reavers had the tendency to be unsettling, threatening, and yet completely trustworthy. Mighty was the perfect example… and so was Espio. Perhaps the thing that troubled the chameleon the most was that all three of them had one rather large thing in common... He didn't need Manic or Knuckles to say that the thief-prince had blood on his hands. It was as obvious to Espio as the scars he kept hidden under his spiked wristbands. A flash of blood-soaked shackles around his wrists and the sound of a sickeningly wet crack as he used the chains to break a person's neck ripped through his mind involuntarily. "'Blood knows blood as suffering knows pain'," he muttered to himself, the Mercian proverb leaping to his lips unbidden. _'Let's hope you never learned that lesson the way I did, Manic.'_

Unknown to him Manic felt his swirl of emotions, and couldn't help but wince. _'It seems like we've both gone through hell… I hope yours was easier, Espio,'_ the thief thought to himself privately. For just a brief moment the two of them had connected in an odd familiarity. Perhaps that was enough to make things a bit less hostile between them.

* * *

Very few things ever made Marietta Tia'ras angry. The bat that had hunted her out was one of them. Her brown eyes glared at Rouge with untold fury; somehow making her violently intimidating despite the long-skirted black-and-white dress that was her maid uniform. "I'm not interested," she growled, her Mercian accent creeping through due to her temper. "I'm retired. _Retired_. If I wished to be called upon to fight and kill again, then I would have stayed in Mercia, _Bat_." The last word she very nearly spat like it was an invective.

Rouge arched a brow as she nonchalantly leaned against the sill of the window through which she'd entered the Condammer mansion. "You gave up your title and renown to be a maid? Here? You'll excuse me Rose, but it seems a pity for a warrior of your caliber to lower yourself so much as to become someone's _servant_."

Before she could stop herself Marietta snapped out a vicious order in Mercian. "_Ve na shka, bito!_" Rouge didn't need to understand all of what had been said; the last word was more than enough to express the mixed-breed's feelings.

However much it irked her internally, Rouge waved the insult aside. "Now, now; no need to call names. It's just an honest inquiry. Robotnik wants you to help in his search, that's all."

"_Tá!_ A person does not hunt down a mercenary just to 'help in a search'. Regardless, I _will not_ accept. I have a life _here_; that I _enjoy_. I will not cater to the whims of a fool or a _bito_ by uprooting and destroying what I have. You will have to get someone else to 'help'. I will not do it."

Rouge let her aquamarine eyes scan the Rose's room. True, it had been difficult finding the Mercian Rose, going to Mercia and back again with only whispered rumors to lead her; but after having searched for close to three weeks Rouge was by no means willing to give up so easily. The Mercian Rose had not been known for her femininity, but here on the Condammer estate her room was as classically frilly and girlish as any Mercian grand-dame's. _'Well fitting for the maid of one of the prestigious Condammers.'_ Taking her attention from inspecting the cat-fox's room, Rouge continued to pry at her resolve. "At least hear me out."

"You have nothing I wish to hear," Marietta snarled, this time not bothering to conceal her fangs.

"Really?" Rouge grinned almost tauntingly. "What if I told you the one Robotnik wishes you to hunt was none other than Kleptomaniac- the very same monstrosity that threatened the life of the man you work for?"

The insults and protests died in Marietta's throat, her vulpine tail losing some of its enraged vigor. Rouge had hit close to home, and they both knew it. Clearly the bat had spied on her for a while and was aware of her feelings for Lord Bartleby Montclair Condammer. That she hadn't been aware of Rouge's presence gave Marietta mixed feelings. _'I've gotten rusty.'_ The part of her that had once thrilled in fighting and drawing blood, taken pride in her fighting skill, gave an internal wail of horror. The part that was thoroughly smitten with Bartleby gave something akin to a sigh of contentment.

Trying not to grind her teeth together at her conflicting thoughts, Marietta weighed the possibilities. Destroying Kleptomaniac would mean protecting Bartleby- a thought that made her blood surge in a mix of love and glee. Fixing Rouge with firm brown eyes she growled, "How much is Robotnik willing to pay?" Rouge couldn't keep the victorious grin from her face.

* * *

Qetzenthala was bored. There was no other word for it. True, there were others present that were part of his and Manic's 'family'; but none seemed particularly interested in helping the bird cure his boredom. Arajia sat near the fireplace of their pieced-together home, making some meal over the fire that really smelled far too delicious to ignore… But the old rat had chased him away from the hearth not even a moment after he'd poked his beak in over the pot; various invectives born of frustration assailing the pea-hawk in time with the ladle colliding with his feathered head. The blows hadn't been hard since Arajia would never hurt one of 'his' kids, but Qet knew well enough that the old man could knock someone senseless if he had a mind to.

Giving a sigh, his silvery gaze swept over the others present. Sabbat was thoroughly engrossed in reading a book that was half his size. For one so young his attitude was remarkably no-nonsense when it came to his reading. Then again, Sabbat's mental health had improved by leaps and bounds since he had first joined their odd 'family'. It helped that about three months of not seeing Manic consistently hadn't stopped Sabbat from communicating with the hedgehog. In some respects Sabbat's telepathy was a much more helpful gift than Manic's empathy (especially since he _knew_ who he could trust and who was a threat). Still… in some ways Sabbat was far too serious and responsible for someone who was only twelve years old.

"I have better things to do," Sabbat stated aloud, not even bothering to look up at his 'older brother'.

Arajia gave a snort from near the fire. "What have we told you about poking around in others' heads Sabbat?" the old rat admonished.

A smirk tugged at those feline lips. "Don't get caught."

"Aside from that," Arajia snapped; his disapproving but not unkind gaze now locked on Sabbat.

"'Don't do it without permission'. I know, I know; but he was broadcasting again."

"…Was not," Qet protested without much force behind it.

On a pillowed bench not too far from Qet, yet positioned between the couch the bird was on and the hearth, sprawled the most peculiar one in their family. Tryst was clearly a mixed breed, but not one that made sense like Qet. Tryst was half fox and half bat, the fox blood clearly dominating his appearance. Black wings stretched straight upward, the firelight revealing the bone structures in the limbs. "Don't whine so much Qet. Makes ya sound as if ye've a couple bolts loose in your head."

Ignoring the joking insult, Qet replied as Tryst's wings re-folded on his back. "I'm bored."

"Find something to entertain yourself with," one of the others stated bluntly.

"But I'm bored."

"And I'm not your entertainment," Tryst snorted, his large black ears swiveling against the red fur of his head to catch any abnormal sound out of long-formed habit.

"Ah, don't bother Tryst," the dog snorted. "Qet's just a whiney bird. Always has been, always will be."

"…Nice way to destroy my ego Ka'eh. Real nice," Qet snapped at the 'mutt' dog.

She grinned, displaying the only clear indication of her partial wolf heritage. "Someone's gotta do it. You'll get too full of yourself otherwise."

"Agreed," chorused Tryst and Sabbat.

The crest of feathers on Qet's head shot up in indignation. "Hey! That's not fair! I can't believe you're all-"

"Well it's true!" Tryst interrupted. Before the situation could escalate much further Arajia intervened.

"_Children_," he growled warningly.

The only raccoon in the room protested vehemently. "I didn't do anything!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose Arajia internally wished that Farrel were still around to help him sort out all of these damned kids. _'Goddess above, I never thought I'd miss the old bastard so much.'_ Giving vent to some of his thoughts he grumbled, "For the love of- Baenya, I didn't mean you. Tryst, Qet, Ka'eh- shut up. And Sabbat; _don't start anything. PLEASE_. Everybody: stop ganging up on Qet. Qet: stop provoking them."

"But I didn't-," Qet began.

"I don't care. If you're bored, go find something to do. Hell, all of you could go find something to do. I'm sure there are various things in need of patching or replenishing."

"Do we _have_ to?" Ka'eh chanced, her floppy ears perking up as her full attention turned to the old rat.

Arajia gave just the slightest twitch before taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "You'd all best be glad we're no longer living in a sewer, or so help me I'd drown at least half of you. So yes, you have to unless you can all spontaneously learn how not to pick fights and set me off even more than I already am!"

Ka'eh gave a sigh. "The circus isn't even in town. If they were, we could've given them Qet."

"Ka'eh!" Arajia snapped; his patent 'loving-father-that-completely-disapproves-and-is-thoroughly-disappointed' glare in place. Understandably, she flinched away. No one could endure that look for more than three seconds without cracking and confessing to things that even they had forgotten having ever done.

Getting to her feet, she began slinking toward the door. "I'll be going now…"

"Qet, Sabbat, Tryst, Baenya; go with Ka'eh and keep her out of trouble," the old rat ordered in a tone that left no room for argument.

"I'm not going to do anything like Klepto or Tahl, Arajia!" Ka'eh protested only to wither under another one of Arajia's glares.

"You're forgetting that you have a talent for picking fights," he growled in response. "The others are going to make sure you _stay out of them_." Grudgingly the others pulled themselves to their feet and headed for the door.

Baenya turned mournful brown eyes on the tea in jhur hands. Those same pleading brown eyes slid up to lock on Arajia with a puppy-dog look that Manic would have envied back when they were little. "Can I finish my tea?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Arajia silently prayed that whatever deities were listening would give him patience with these kids. "Finish your tea and then go."

"Does that mean I can finish my book?" Sabbat asked in a tone far too innocent to be even remotely considered believable.

"…You're not even close to finishing the damned book you're reading."

"It's good for my education."

"…As intelligent an argument as that is; no. You're still going out with everyone else. You need to get fresh air; _especially_ since you haven't stepped outside in over a _week_." The feline pouted for a moment, but quickly gave in to the rat that had so far been the best father he'd ever had in his entire life. Soon they all filed out amidst a cloud of grumbling complaints, and then the air was blessedly silent as they got out of his hearing range.

Arajia sighed and stirred the contents of the stew pot again. All of them were dear to him; but Goddess-above knew that they knew exactly how to push his buttons and give him a screaming headache. _'And it's largely Farrel's fault. Damn it all… I miss those old days. Hell, I miss _him_.'_ Farrel had not only been Arajia's best friend and damn near his brother, he'd been one of the most deviously cunning thieves in the world. No one else that Arajia had known before meeting Farrel had been able to get out of so many scrapes without getting hurt. He could talk himself out of just about anything, and had, until the day he got roboticized.

The old rat's hand tightened on the ladle as a scowl flickered across his face. That day was still a bitter memory that filled him with rage. On that day he had lost his brother, and soon after he lost the only kid that had just as much promise and luck as Farrel did: Manic. True, Manic wasn't truly gone since he had just reunited with his siblings, but Arajia knew he wasn't the only one to think it was a crying shame that the boy was royalty. Knowing that Manic would have to take the throne promised good things for the world; but it meant that the poor boy would become a soul-reaver for the sake of his people. That was where the shame of it was: Manic was a good boy, if vicious during the right situations so far as Arajia was concerned- He didn't deserve being trapped in a role he probably wouldn't be comfortable with. Manic deserved to be free from pain, and free to run with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. The world had never been so kind.

Giving another sigh, Arajia shook his head. He'd known enough soul-reavers in his life and had more than had his fill. Farrel had been one when they'd met, Tahl had been one, Manic was steadily becoming one, and Sabbat looked like he _might_ become one. "Yiffing hell," the old rat snarled privately. He wasn't known for being emotional, but as he wiped away the tears that welled up at the corners of his eyes he cursed everything that had gone wrong in the world- starting with Robotnik taking control and putting his adoptive family at risk, and ending with the fact that monsters like the ones that killed Tahl and had abused Sabbat had caused Manic to take a soul-reaver's path. "To think that I yiffing left Mercia to get away from this crap… Goddess damn it." Had Farrel still been around, he would have been the only one to notice that the stew was a bit saltier than usual when dinner rolled around.

* * *

"I don't want them here," Locke snapped at his son. "And that's final."

"Dad!" Knuckles protested, ignoring the other Guardians that lounged or stood in the main room of the Guardians' Lair. "They're not _doing_ anything! They're just guests! They _won't_ do anything to put the Island at risk." The disagreement had been an on-going point of contention among the Guardians ever since the triplets had first arrived. Every visit to the Guardians' Lair, almost a daily event, saw the argument renewed and rehashed for the umpteenth time. Being the current Guardian, Knuckles ultimately got most of the final say, but that meant little if his ancestors united against him. If they all agreed that the triplets needed to leave, Knuckles would have little choice in the matter. Frankly the thought of the three hedgehogs being thrown off the island, Sonia especially, panged at him ever-so-slightly. _'Unacceptable. I can't let them get kicked off for no reason!'_ That his own father was his worst enemy on the situation made things infinitely worse.

"That was what was said about the Hedgehog and look what happened! He tried to _forcefully_ _remove_ the emeralds! Do you dare even think for a second that if those three learned the Island's secrets that they _wouldn't_ try to do something similar?" Locke roared at his willful son.

"Goddess damn it all Father, I'm _not_ sending those three away! They stand the best chance of taking down Robotnik! If I send them away they won't have even a second to rest. Warriors can't keep-"

"You invited a thief Knuckles! I will not accept this! The other two are just as bad if not worse! They are _his-_"

"Locke, enough," Thunderhawk, ever the voice of reason, intervened. "The Emeralds have their own will; you know this. If they choose to get involved, we have no claim over who they choose." This was another point most of the Guardians didn't want to consider: the possibility that the emeralds would take an interest in outsiders- _especially_ the particular outsiders that were the topic of discussion.

Blue eyes scowled at the violet-furred elder. "We did when it came to _him_."

"And as I've said to everyone here before, I didn't approve of our actions then and I don't approve of them now. Spirit still has not forgiven what the majority chose to do in regards to the Hedgehog." Before any of the other scowling Guardians could even begin shouting over him, Thunderhawk plowed on. "You protested Espio, Mighty, and all the others that have become Knuckles's _demsönlia_- and yet now you happily welcome them. Give them a chance. Besides…" a smile tugged at Thunderhawk's lips, "There is a prophecy about those three, or have you forgotten?" Knuckles gave Thunderhawk a grateful look. At least someone there wasn't demanding the hedgehogs' immediate expulsion from the Island aside from himself.

Janelle-Li frowned, her brown eyes expressing a million thoughts and emotions in one minute. Brushing her sunset-orange bangs out of her face, she spoke. "As Guardians it is our duty to watch after the Emeralds, whether alive or dead; yet is it not also our duty to abide by whatever prophecies of a good future come along?" Silence rang throughout the room after she spoke. "Do we ignore a prophecy to again cause something terrible, or do we accept it?" she asked challengingly. They all knew what she spoke of, and they didn't like it. Janelle-Li was not known for being the most aggressive of the Guardians, but she hadn't been one in life for nothing. She too was a fighter in her own right; as was quite clearly obvious by the fact that her patron emerald had been Fire… and they all knew how aggressive Fire was.

Locke and several others however, were quite furious and had no desire to hear such a reasonable argument. "So you suggest that we should leave the Emeralds unprotected? That was what led to _Tikal's_ downfall and the creation of the Dark Legion! You would have us repeat that same mistake?"

"Locke is right, we can take no chances. Remove them from the Island at once!" Spectre snapped out. Thunderhawk merely arched an eyebrow at his father, and then gave a nod to his granddaughter. With any luck the two of them might together right this situation for Knuckles.

"Locke Te-thraesh Echidna… Great-Grandfather… Shut up and listen to me," she growled, "Before you go jumping to conclusions, _both_ of those situations happened _because_ our family line _would not_ go along with prophecies that would come out well. The split between Dmitri and Edmund is regrettable, yes, but it _would not_ have happened the way it did if both Edmund and Dmitri had taken steps to ensure that things went correctly instead of fighting it. What happened to Tikal would not have happened if her father had gotten off his self-entitled throne and _listened_ to her. I'm quite certain that Edmund and Tikal would agree with me if you took the time to ask them. If we do to those triplets what many of you old fools happily did to the Hedgehog, then you will make this world worse. This world is _already_ worse for your stubborn refusal to accept the prophecy about _him_."

Before the bickering could go full-swing again, one of the eldest in their family gave an aggravated sigh and spoke. "Janelle-Li is right. If we are not careful about this thing, we may very well cause the Island to crash. The emeralds can do nothing to save us from such a fate if they are taken from us- but neither will they do anything _for us_ if they do not agree with us." None dared snap at Steppenwolf in response. The long-dead guardian ran a hand through his banded dreds, a nervous tic that showed his irritation clearly, "My father and his brother were both stubborn idiots. Had they actually _listened_ to each other and _cooperated_ with the prophecy in the first place, we would not be dealing with the Dark Legion now.

"So let's face facts: our family is notorious for being so idiotically stubborn that we, at times, _work against_ what will ultimately be in the best interest of not only ourselves, but the emeralds as well. We need only look back to Tikal for proof of that, as Janelle-Li has stated. Like the rest of you, I do not like that we may have to entrust the emeralds to those outside of our family. I do not like that the prophecy concerning the hedgehog told us bluntly what we now know. We _should have_ given the emeralds over into his care so that he could stop Robotnik _before_ any of this lunacy started; but we didn't. We let our dislike, distrust, and dare I say it- _racism_, get in the way of what we knew we should have done. _I_ do not like that the prophecies were telling us to trust an outsider like that reckless fool; so I agreed that sealing him away was the best thing. We have paid the price.

"Now we are given the chance at deliverance by these triplets, and some of you wish to banish them or do to them what we did to our last savior-to-be? You'll excuse me if I find the idea ludicrous, if not downright stupid. If we are to put this thing to a vote, as it should be, then my vote is to leave them be and trust them. I trust in the Guardian's judgment." Steppenwolf directed a nod at Knuckles; his final words and all the formality implied making it clear that he considered the matter closed.

The others were silent for a moment as they considered what Steppenwolf had said. Slowly going in a circle, starting from his left, the Guardians voted. Of the seventeen of them present, twelve decided in favor of the triplets, and five against. The matter was closed and the triplets were to be trusted. That fact left Knuckles with an overwhelming sense of relief, but he knew his father would be unlikely to forgive him for the breach in tradition for a long time afterward. At least whatever disagreement they had wouldn't be nearly so bad as the last 'family argument'. Hurrying away from the Guardians' Lair to put some distance between himself and his father, Knuckles couldn't help but reflect on the last such fight that had rocked his family's foundations. That fight alone had resulted in the Dark Legion; there would not be a repeat.

* * *

"You want someone to hunt those three royals?" The dragon grinned, her pointed teeth shining in the light cast by the torches along the cave walls. "And what makes you think that my family might care to be involved at all?"

"Decent payment," Rouge replied bluntly. It hadn't been hard to find where the Dragon Demons roosted, but it most certainly had been a pain getting there. Then again, Mercia was somewhat known for its near-insurmountable mountain ranges. She had Shadow and his capabilities to thank for making it to the Dragons' home.

The large dragon gave a chuckle, accompanied by the slightest puff of smoke. "Just a 'decent' payment? Robotnik is going to have to do a lot more than that to convince my kin that this hunt of his is worth our while. As entertaining as the thought of chasing royals is; it's not enough to get my entire family up in arms… well, you know what I mean," waving off her last comment with a talon-bearing hand the size of Rouge, the black dragon continued. "Surely there may be an interesting twist in this yet? Otherwise, I think we'll have to say 'Sorry, but no'."

Rouge tried not to twitch. Dragons made her nervous, especially when they happened to be the size of a bus or bigger. Shadow's nonchalant attitude as he leaned against a wall nearby didn't help any either- he could get the hell out of there in the blink of an eye if he so wished. She couldn't. "…Robotnik said Kleptomaniac might be involved; which is why I'm taking the spying route. Whether he actually is or not, I'm not sure."

An unusual look of familiarity slid onto the dragon's reptilian face, her luminous green eyes flashing in interest. "Manyi? Of what interest would Manyi have in royalty?"

The jewel thief stared at the dragon in front of her in shock, jolted by the thought that Liidara could possibly know the particular thorn in her side. "You know him?"

Liidara gave a snort, sending more smoke rolling across the cavern's ceiling. "My connection was with his elder sister, Tahl. I forget none connected with my girl- NONE."

"Rouge wouldn't know why he'd be interested in royalty. She doesn't like talking about him either," Shadow supplied, drawing an irate glare from Rouge.

Liidara's expression became somewhat sympathetic, "You had a falling out with Manyi of some sort? My apologies." She stretched her wings, scraping them against the ceiling in the process, giving herself a moment to think. "For the fact that Manyi is involved will I do this thing. I must find out what happened to Tahl- and that requires no full-out hunt. I will accept what payment Robotnik gives me, but the goals I have for this job are mine alone. If he does not like it, he does not get my services. My family will not be involved in anything that may cause us to be at odds with the family of our adopted one- even should that adopted one be dead. Do you agree to this?"

Rouge nodded, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get a better deal from any of the Dragons. Even getting Liidara's acknowledgement had been a chore; trying to get the other Dragon Demons to be involved would have been suicide.

Standing up, Liidara gazed at her temporary allies. "Shall we go then? The sooner we leave, the sooner we may collect the others you have spoken of, and the sooner the job is done."

"Your family doesn't need to be consulted?" Rouge asked warily; Shadow raising an eyebrow at her quizzically in the background.

Liidara grinned again as her tail whipped out behind her in pride. "They know already, and they care little for Robotnik's business. Let us be on our way." As Rouge and Shadow followed the black dragon back out into the sunlight, the bat couldn't help noting that for someone who was a quadruped most of the time, Liidara was one of the more intimidating people she had ever met.

* * *

Review please! The button is right there! You _know_ you want to! Reeeeviiiieeeeewwww- and the plot will get further. Small spoiler: Shadow badass-ness coming up in the next chapter. You want to see it? Then you know what to do! n_n


	5. Strand 5: What Seems Simple

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't own Sonic anything except for my own crud and my copies of various games and comics. You want to sue me? Good luck with that. You'd probably only get about two cents out of me anyway since I'm so broke. I blame college.

Author's Note: Again, my _massive_ apologies for my typical delays-of-doom. As I always do, I'm afraid I have to blame both college and personal laziness. I know this story is crawling along at a snail's pace, but thank you to all of those that have stuck with this series/trilogy/thing so far. Also, my thanks to the nine of you that chose to review last chapter. (Reviews make the caushog happy; as I'm sure everyone has already figured out.) I am glad to hear that my writing hasn't been horribly messed up as of yet, and with any luck I've delivered on that level of quality with this chapter as well. Also, scene breaks that are actually connected are now marked as ... because ffdotnet is being obnoxious and getting rid of my spacing. As promised, there is Shadow badass-ness in this chapter, which I think the majority of you will get a kick out of. As ever and always, read, enjoy, and review.

* * *

"_Sheh, sheh, sheh- eh so va-da-ra… Ehlo Ma-re-sha, tiim veh ta…,_" Mighty sang quietly as he brushed through Sonia's quills. The Chaotix and the triplets were out in the open air enjoying the sun without having to work. The princess had missed some of the pampering she had once been used to, so while she had been quite flustered at Mighty's joking offer to do so, she couldn't find it in herself to refuse her friend. Neither had missed the occasional jealous glares that came from Knuckles, aimed at Mighty. Both of them couldn't help laughing any time they caught him at it. What did Knuckles have to be jealous about when the armadillo had no interest in women in the first place? Of course, granted, he had yet to tell Sonia _who_ he was interested in, but it most certainly wasn't her.

"What's the translation for that Mighty?" Sonia asked as she looked back at her friend over her shoulder.

"A good translation would be, 'Silence, silence, silence- on the river. Hello Mercia, home's welcoming light'," he replied, "Of course, that's just a very basic translation- not quite accurate, but it can't really be worded any better."

Espio gave a snort within the branches of the tree he had chosen to lounge in. "Pick a better song Mighty. I've heard that one enough to make me choke."

Mighty rolled his eyes, "I wasn't singing it for you, genius."

"Children, knock it off," Knuckles snapped.

A few feet away, Sonic leaned over to Manic and muttered, "Can you believe the regular 'family' drama going on here?"

The green hedgehog was on his back, staring up at the sky. Not looking at Sonic, he muttered in return, "Just be glad you can't 'hear' even half the spraint I can. You'd be calling it a soap opera then."

"What are you doing, eavesdropping?"

"Not on purpose."

Sonic shook his head at Manic and changed the topic. "So, how far along do you think 'Operation: Princess and Guardian Set-Up' is?" he muttered.

"I'd say we're on about phase three," Manic whispered back, "Knux is actually getting little pangs of jealousy. A bit longer together and next thing you know they're going to be falling over themselves and turning beat red any time they look at each other. Then we'll just have to push it to phase four-"

"-'The Date'," Sonic finished. Manic nodded.

"We just have to make sure she doesn't think of Bartle-face. After that point, Knux can take care of the rest."

"Yeah, but she'll still have to break off the engagement."

"So? Knux is higher profile anyway. More 'appropriate' for a princess than a 'mere noble' could be any day. _And_ we know he wouldn't dream of doing what Bartleby did," he stated as he sat up, his elbows resting on his drawn-up knees.

"…You _do_ realize we're going to have to tell her about that eventually, right?"

Manic considered for a moment before saying, "It might be damned manipulative of me, but I'd rather have Sonia thoroughly smitten with Knux before it ever comes up. That way she won't have a guilty conscience about jumping ship. Otherwise she's going to go straight for denial and I'm going to have to get Qet to tell her who the 'other person' was, straight to her face."

"You might need to do that anyway."

"Yeah, but hopefully not for a while," he stated calmly. Before the conversation could continue any further, Charmy rocketed himself at Manic's head with a squeal, bowling over the green hedgehog so he fell flat on his back out of reflex as he caught the hyperactive bee in his arms. "Dude! Kamikaze bee! Not cool!" Manic squawked before he bolted back upright and fell to mercilessly tickling the cheery insect.

Through his gales of laughter at the tickling, Charmy crowed out, "I… finally… snuk up… on you! Sto~oo~op!"

"Oh no you don't!" Manic grinned as he held on to Charmy, "This is revenge!"

"You wi-i-in!" the bee laughed as the others tried to stifle their own amusement at the antics of the thief and youngest Chaotic.

Sonic snickered, his shoulders shaking as he tried to keep from laughing. His and Manic's plotting could wait for later. For the moment, things were peaceful just the way Sonia had wanted things. He just hoped that it would stay that way long enough for 'Operation: Princess and Guardian Set-Up' to be successfully carried out.

* * *

Qet and his adoptive siblings wandered through Robotropolis; the sun setting as they defaulted into food-hunting mode. Arajia had sent them out for being obnoxious again, hoping that they might find something better to do than annoy an old man that was trying to keep them fed. Yet there was little they could think of to keep them entertained at the moment; Robotnik's 'bot-patrols were out in force, so there was no time for some good-natured exploring and bantering. Their path was one of habit, headed by Ka'eh as she proudly swaggered past Robotnik's estate like she owned the world. True, going anywhere near the Overlord's residence was a risk, but it was almost like a patrol route of their own. At times it could lead to gaining some highly valuable information. All of them were on high alert out of long habit, but it was Sabbat that felt something was off first.

When his blue eyes swept up toward the sky he froze and his jaw dropped. _"Guys… There's a dragon… a BIG dragon,"_ he silently stated in their minds.

Ka'eh snapped her head up to take in the sight of the large black dragon almost imperceptibly outlined against the night sky. "_Nakté_," she muttered, deliberately keeping her tone as quiet as she could.

Tryst's ears flattened against his head as his wings pulled in close in anxiety. Dragons _were not_ good news in any of their experience; except for those whom Tahl had been adopted by. The small group watched silently as the dragon landed on the grounds of the estate and three people slid off its back soon after. As the large double-doors were pulled open by Sleet and Dingo the thieves exchanged concerned looks. If Robotnik was having any dealings with a dragon, then things were going to get worse. "Folks… I don't think I need t' be sayin' it, but we may be in deep spraint," Tryst murmured to the others.

"You _think_?" Baenya hissed in reply.

"Guys!" Qet snapped just as quietly, "We need to find out what's going on. Whatever _this_ is, it's _huge_."

Ka'eh snorted, "Save your breath Qet. None of us is a brainless noble that can't see a disaster three feet in front of us."

With that last comment they fanned out and slowly crept toward the mansion. Qetzenthala kept Sabbat close by his side as they went off one way, Ka'eh and Baenya went off another, and Tryst started for the front door after Robotnik's three visitors disappeared inside. Whatever they overheard was going to go straight to Manic and the resistance. If Robotnik got a dragon on his side he'd be able to lay waste to _everything_ and no one would stand a chance.

...

"…So we have an agreement?" Liidara asked with a threatening grin that hinted at the violence she was capable of. She and her companions stood within the immense and opulent Great Hall of Robotnik's estate, the only room large enough for her great size.

Robotnik gulped nervously, but stood his ground. "Indeed. That is perfectly acceptable." The black dragon's stipulations for her work wasn't exactly what he'd wanted, but he had no desire to anger a creature that was capable of biting him in half or engulfing him in a giant ball of flame at a whim. At least, as promised, The Mercian Rose was more than willing to go toe-to-toe with Kleptomaniac and bring him down if needed.

"If we're _completely_ finished, I'd rather be on my way and get this job finished," Marietta snapped, her right hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her hip.

Gone was her maid's-wardrobe and in its place was the black leather outfit of a Mercian berserker: A sleeveless vest zipped up to half an inch below her collarbone, pants with numerous sheathes and pockets clad her legs, a flap that was slit almost completely down the middle hung over her tail, and she wore combat boots that were meant to take a beating. Around each of her upper-arms was a strip of tied-off leather to illustrate mourning, but the necessity of her trade. In stark contrast to this image, the back of her vest bore an embroidered blood-red rose- a symbol that was mirrored on both the sword-sheath strapped to her back and the one hanging from her waist. Fingerless gloves, a cord around her neck with a blue-and-white tear-shaped pendant hanging from it, and her braided chocolaty-brown hair with the serrated spear-head tied to the end of it completed her appearance.

She very strongly doubted that Robotnik would ever recognize her as the maid of Bartleby Condammer. If he did… _'If he does, then the man is smarter than I'm giving him credit for.'_

"Patience my dear," Robotnik stated, "We're waiting for the arrival of the others I requested, and then you all may be on your way."

"So I would hope," the cat/fox stated coldly. Clearly she didn't like being in the human's presence any more than a certain dark hedgehog did.

"Who _are_ we waiting on, precisely?" Rouge asked, her attention half on Shadow as he began pacing back-and-forth in an effort to dispel some of his agitation. Almost as soon as she spoke, the doors to the hall blew open to admit Nack and several others.

"Got 'em, Doc, as requested," Nack grinned. Arrayed around him was an echidna in black leather, a bull-dog that towered over the others and carried a battle-axe, a squirrel mostly concealed beneath a dark cloak, and an individual that looked as though he was the elder brother of Gehmeh. "All the best an' brightest."

"Well done, well done. Let's get our introductions out of the way so that I can tell you all _exactly_ what it is I want," Robotnik stated, as though he were granting them all some sort of boon. Not everyone shared such sentiments. Marietta and the bull-dog were glaring daggers at each other within less than a second.

"Lien-Da," the echidna stated with a sadistic grin, "Of the Dark Legion. Your turn… 'darling'." The last was aimed at the bull-dog, who took his eyes off of Marietta long enough to give Lien-Da a wry smirk.

"Dahlink," he said in a thick accent, "do not patr'nize me or I may break you in 'alf. As for the rest of you, you may simply call me Patros."

"More like _pahst-chal-trosa_," Marietta snarled venomously.

"Ah, Rose… dahlink… Are you still sore that I helped make your _gut_ _freund_ 'disappear'?" he grinned at her. A fight between the two was almost inevitable- and then Shadow started for the door.

"Shadow," Robotnik snapped out, "Where are you going?"

Shadow paused and looked back at the human condescendingly over his shoulder. "If I'm not mistaken, the entire point of this meeting was to tell us what it is that you want of us. Not to get to know each other and 'make friends'. Since you clearly have no inclination for getting to the point, I thought I'd absent myself from this bout of inane stupidity and come back when some actual business was being conducted." The hall resounded with the silence that was the immediate response to his bold statement, and then Nack doubled over laughing.

"_Damn!_ I didn't think _anybody_ could yiff somethin' over so damned quick! Rouge… Where'd ya get 'im? I wanna snag him," the weasel cackled out.

Shadow snorted and stated in a flat tone, "If you and I are ever in a room together alone, your corpse will be left for the others to find the next day."

"Izzat so?" Nack chuckled as he straightened up and walked toward Shadow challengingly. "Izzat a 'threat'? …'Shadow'?"

Shadow stood his ground, eyeing the weasel like he was some foul substance he'd had the misfortune of stepping in. "_Baka_. You stand about as much chance against me as against the dragon. Do your job, leave me be, I'll do mine, and you won't turn up dead." Turning his attention to Robotnik he snapped out, "Are we going to get to business, or should I just spare you the trouble and leave?"

Robotnik scowled at the hedgehog that dared mouth off to him. Where did this _rodent_ get off being so flippant? What right had he earned to be so challenging to _him_? "And pray tell, what makes you think that I should tolerate your attitude?" the overlord demanded.

A slow smirk crept onto Shadow's face, combining with a slight narrowing of his eyes in a bone-chilling look that made him appear to be almost psychotic. "I believe you have more than enough reason to tolerate my 'attitude' due to the services you are receiving from Rouge. However, if that is not enough for you-" In the blink of an eye Shadow was across the room and he stood right in front of Robotnik, a fang-bearing grin that contained nothing but threat on his face. "-I could happily demonstrate by ripping your spine out through your stomach. The choice is yours." An amused chuckle pulled itself from him as everyone but Rouge jumped. With that said, he nonchalantly walked back over to Rouge, and in a bored tone asked, "So, Robotnik, are you going to stop wasting our time with 'formal pleasantries' and tell us what you want?"

Quietly, so that no one else but Shadow heard her, Rouge murmured, "You know I hate it when you do that." His smirk became a touch more victorious at that.

Robotnik scowled, but did as Shadow 'asked'. Though he most definitely didn't like this hedgehog any more than the others he'd had the misfortune of running into, Robotnik couldn't help but think that if Kleptomaniac were involved with the triplets then Shadow would be the perfect person to counter him. With that thought in mind, he began outlining precisely what he wanted… and those that Rouge had brought with her would be at the forefront of tracking the royal triplets down. The others could do the rest.

...

After the two distinct groups began to disperse, Qet had Sabbat send the others the 'clear out' signal. Any longer and they would run the very real risk of getting caught. What they'd heard was enough to demand a visit to the Floating Island in person, but their chances of getting there before the dragon weren't very good. Only Qet and Tryst could fly, and it was a sad fact that the larger wings of the dragon equaled flight faster than either of them could manage even with a head-start. Speaking of Tryst… _'Where _is_ he?'_ the pea-hawk fretted. The others had turned up outside of the gates, but not Tryst. It wasn't like the mixed-breed to be so late. Not unless he'd found a computer to hack or-

A blood-curdling shriek ripped through the air, leaving little question as to who it could be. Eyes wide, Sabbat looked to Qet and silently asked, _"Is that…?"_ He had never been able to communicate telepathically with Tryst as easily as he could the others; and now, more than ever, Sabbat wished it were otherwise. At Qet's grim nod, Sabbat's ears flattened against his head. _"Is he…?"_

'_I don't know.'_ Though he hated to do it, Qetzenthala knew they'd have to leave Tryst behind. Lesson One in their lives had always been to _never_ go into situations when they knew they didn't stand a chance. Looking to the others, he knew that Ka'eh and Baeyna were of the same mind: if Tryst couldn't get out on his own, they would have to come back later. _'Tryst… Forgive me.' _"Let's go," he muttered aloud. _'I'll be back. I promise.'_

_..._

Tryst's brown eyes were locked on the echidna standing over him, dark blood trailing down his face and his right wing trembling from the pain of the hole she'd put through it. Papers were scattered about the floor of the dark room and the computer he'd been hacking was giving off sporadic electrical sparks where his head had collided with it a moment before. A smirk on her face, Lien-Da leaned forward and seized his chin with her bloody hand. "I think you're going to tell me everything I want to know, lovely. And if you don't…" her grin was sadistic as she licked her lips, "I'll make you wish your parents never birthed your unnatural hide."

Tryst considered carefully, but defiance was just as much a part of his nature as it was any of his siblings'. Giving a smile through the blood, he said, "At least m' 'rents cared enough t' make sure that I'd stay out o' whores' closets."

Lien-Da's eyes widened in rage as her grip on him tightened. "You little half-breed _cur_," she snarled.

'_This is gonna hurt…'_

_

* * *

_

Manic sat in the 'living room' of the Hidden Palace, eyes skimming over the text of a book he'd jokingly swiped from Mighty. All three triplets and all of the Chaotix were in the room, which was rather comfortable considering the hour. Then again, Manic was used to being in slightly crowded rooms. At least Espio didn't seem to be interested in staring holes into the back of his head anymore. That Charmy had nodded off in Ray's lap and Sonic was (for once) worn out enough to sit still without fidgeting went a long way toward keeping his 'mental static' in step with the slightly tired ambience. _'Much more of this and I'm heading off to bed to pass out.'_ And that was precisely when his wonderfully quiet evening fell apart.

_"MANIC! MANICMANICMANICMANICMANIC!"_ Sabbat's mental voice shrieked in his head.  
"Holy spraint!" Manic yelped in surprise, the book hitting the floor as his hands clutched his head. The others jumped much as he did and gave him a bewildered look.

"Manic, what the heck…?" Vector began to ask in confusion, his game of chess with Espio forgotten.

"Give… Give me a second," he muttered, his breathing slightly ragged due to the shock he'd gotten. Sonic and Sonia's eyes met with identical looks of concern.

"Manic… is it another attack?" Sonia asked.

Waving off her question the thief said, "No, nothing like that. Just one of my… 'adopted sibs' just shrieked in my head."

"Another empath?" Espio asked archly, drawing befuddled looks from Vector, Ray, and Mighty.

"Telepath," Manic snapped back. "Just give me a sec to find out what he wants." That alone was enough to draw even more baffled looks his way. Ignoring the 'WTF?' looks from the others, Manic turned his attention to Sabbat. _'What's going on? What's the prob?'_

_"The problem is that there's a DRAGON heading RIGHT FOR YOU! Floating Island! Yes! Employed by Robotnik to hunt you and the other two! Get it? And she's moving fast!"_

_'How big?'_

_"BIG. Bigger than big. Big enough to bite 'Bot-Face in half."_

Manic's eyes went wide and he turned pale as a sheet under his fur. Looking to Knuckles, he said, "We've got a big problem headed our way…"

"How so?"

Giving a sigh that contained a trace of panic in it, he confessed, "Robotnik just employed a giant-as-hell dragon to come after me and my sibs. And she's on her way to the Island _now_."

Violet eyes widened. "How- …How long?"

The thief was quiet for a moment, conferring with Sabbat before he answered. "Tomorrow. She'll be here tomorrow."

For the first time Knuckles was beginning to wonder if his father had at least been partially right that having the triplets on the Island was a bad idea.

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Review if you would, you know you should, and I can promise in the next chapter I show, Manic will meet Shadow. n_n You know what that means people! Things are getting more complex and heated from here on out, so push the button and leave me your thoughts!


	6. Strand 6: Will Inevitably Become

Disclaimer: I only own my own crap and the warped-as-hell fics I come up with. Therefore no-sue-I. Get it? Got it? Good.

Author's Note: To all my loyal fans, again, my numerous apologies for the delays-of-doom. College has been eating my brain and my time. Not that any of you care. But at least for the time being you can put away the pitchforks, torches, and sledgehammers. Also, forewarning, this chapter is a little on the short side (or at least it feels that way to me), but the next one should more than make up for that. Other than that, read, review, and enjoy. (And if anyone is dumb enough to leave a bigoted flame they shall be laughed at.)

* * *

A single evenings'-flight wasn't too bad in Rouge's estimation. At least she didn't have to fly the distance herself. Liidara had been considerate enough to be willing to let Rouge, Shadow, and Marietta hitch a ride on her back so they could get to the Floating Island before the other group Robotnik had employed. The entire lot of them had left a bad taste in Rouge's mouth, but Patros… He had a history with Marietta that ran deep- and not in any way that she wanted to learn about if Marietta's distaste for him was anything to judge by.

Chancing a look at the cat-fox, Rouge was surprised to note that she'd knotted a few chunks of Liidara's mane, tied herself in place, and fallen asleep. To do that took more guts than Rouge thought she would ever have if she didn't have her wings. It was a rather forceful reminder that before Marietta Tia'ras had been the maid of Lord Bartleby Condammer, she had been the mercenary Mercian Rose. Giving a shudder as images of falling from Liidara's back without any way to catch herself played through her mind; Rouge turned her attention to Shadow.

True to form, he was wide awake and gazing off into the distance; either looking for the Island or lost in his thoughts, she didn't know which. He sat with one knee drawn up to his chest, one arm resting on it and the other keeping him braced upright against Liidara's moving back. If she didn't know better she would have sworn that Shadow never slept. That his sleeping patterns were by no means anything resembling normal meant little. He wasn't exactly what anyone could ever call 'normal' anyway. Rouge probably would have continued on in this vein if he hadn't chosen to speak up.

"You never explained why you hate him so much," he stated off-handedly.

"Who?" She asked, thrown off by his sudden desire to talk.

"I believe he means Manyi," Liidara contributed without losing her focus on their destination.

Rouge's wings arched instinctively, almost as if to block out thoughts of the green hedgehog altogether. "…I really don't want to talk about it."

Shadow's lips twitched downward by just a hair. Such minor expressions spoke volumes for his irritation. "Whether you want to or not, there's a good chance he might be there. The 'Disgrace' said as much. I would rather know why my friend has such a problem with him so that I might know how to handle things on the off chance that he _is_ there."

"Shadow does have a point, Raati." That Liidara had chosen to call her 'Red' in Mercian was noted, but not commented on. Mercians did tend to have a habit of altering names so they were easier to say, as well as more affectionate.

Rouge scowled. She knew they were right, but that didn't change the fact that she wanted to think of him as little as possible. Finally she growled out, "He and I… _disagreed_ over a choice he made. A bad one. I'm not going to fault anybody who kills with a good reason, to protect their loved ones or bring down those that hurt them, but to go out _looking_ for monsters-!" The rage at the thought rolled off of her in waves. "He started 'hunting' for bastards. It's just… It's one thing if you _know_ the people a bastard has hurt, but to do all that for a complete and total stranger? To risk _his life_ for people he doesn't even _know_? It'd be admirable if he weren't an empath!"

"Oh?" Liidara asked. This was proving to be enlightening, and she couldn't help but be intrigued by Manic's history with the bat.

"If he weren't an empath he'd be a damned hero," Rouge snapped. "The fact that he's an empath… He's hunting the bastards of the world because he happens to catch the minds of people that get hurt. There _is _such a thing as too much, and he just decided to go ahead and make himself a yiffing victim to all of it anyway! And what about me? What about my worries that he was getting in too far and going _way_ over his head? _Ignored because he didn't want to hear it!_ Nooooo, instead he wanted to just let every poor tortured and abused soul in the world use him as a damned _doormat_ that would clean up all their messes after them! _That's_ why I don't want to have anything to do with him!"

Shadow gave a subtle snort, almost completely unheard due to the winds whipping past them. _'That explains a few things…'_ It was one of the rare times since he'd been awoken from his stasis that his curiosity was well and truly piqued. An empath that could stand to kill another sounded intriguing; an anomaly at the very least. Despite the job ahead, Shadow couldn't repress the desire to meet such a person. Then again, during the time he'd spent with Rouge he'd come to realize that he had a fascination for the unusual. _'Leftover habits from the ARK,'_ he thought, dismissing the memory of Rouge's frequent claims that he had an 'oddity fetish'. Getting to his feet, he stated, "I'm going ahead."

"Wha-" Rouge started to protest.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" In a brilliant flash of light that temporarily disoriented Liidara, Shadow vanished. Miraculously Marietta remained sound asleep.

"What in the world?" Liidara asked, slowing enough so that she could risk looking back at her passengers without getting too far off-course.

Rouge twitched, her ears trembling as she fought to keep them from going flat against her head in frustration. "I _HATE IT_ WHEN HE DOES THAT!"

* * *

As Shadow carefully wound his aimless way through the forests of the Floating Island, he couldn't help but muse over what Rouge would think if she knew his reasons for going ahead. She was his only real friend in this time, so small wonder that her reaction would matter to him. Everyone else he'd ever known or cared about was dead; his grandfather, his sister, and all of the various scientists he'd known in his life. He literally had no one else to worry about. Be that as it may, and although he knew the sometimes volatile bat would _not_ be pleased if she realized he was looking for her ex out of pure curiosity, he couldn't find it in himself to care. _'She'd probably brush it off as that damned "oddity fetish" she insists I have… just about as soon as she gave up being mad at me about it.'_

He'd been raised by scientists; that he _couldn't _be curious about the unusual was a near-impossibility. Granted, Rouge was probably partly right in that he had an interest in the bizarre because of what he was, but that didn't change the fact that he'd inherited his grandfather's scientific curiosity. How could he _not_ want to look into something when it defied logic? That it had a lot to do with empathy was perhaps the greatest attention getter for him. Having been raised to be fascinated by and question the bizarre, it hadn't been a far leap for most of Shadow's own research to be focused on ESP in all of its various forms- most especially empathy and telepathy. That he had a slight case of it himself, an on-again off-again telepathy that came and went as it chose (in addition to his other abnormal capabilities), had been incentive enough for his interest even without his grandfather's constant encouragement. That it had been _his_ studies that put empathy and telepathy in the books as actually proven to exist was a great source of pride for him- even if his name had been wiped from the record and he was only mentioned as "a researcher based in the ARK". It was one fact about his past that he kept a jealously guarded secret, even from Rouge.

If he had his way about it no one in this time would know that 'Shadow: The Ultimate Life Form' was also 'Shadow: the accomplished (_young_) scientist'. In his mind, the fewer connections that anyone could possibly draw between him and 'the Disgrace', the better. _'No one needs to know that…_ thing_ is my "cousin"… or great-grand-nephew depending on how you look at it.'_ The thought of his relation to Ivo Robotnik was enough to briefly make him feel nauseous. He knew, logically, that he and Robotnik were about the same age, but he couldn't help his knee-jerk reaction when it came to seeing the human as an _old_ and decrepit waste of flesh. Giving vent to a scowl, he muttered under his breath, "I didn't come here to think about _him_ of all people."

Forcing away thoughts relating to his grandfather's descendant he continued onward through the dark. _'Now if I were an empath on this island, where would I hide?'_ Of course, realistically, he had to admit that he had no clue. He could guess at what a _normal_ empath would do, but not one that was willing to kill. _'Undefined variable,'_ Shadow thought to himself distractedly, _'Grandfather would be tempted to pull out chunks of his hair if he were here…'_ A snort of amusement pulled itself from him at the thought. His grandfather died at the grand old age of 108, and he'd looked and behaved more like a man half his age. _'A bit of an "undefined variable" himself…'_ The irony proved difficult to not laugh at. _'An anomalous granddaughter, a genetically-engineered grandson, and a grandfather that just kept on going like the Energizer Bunny…My family are officially a pack of freaks.'_ This time he barely stifled his laughter. He missed them, there was no question as to that; but if there was one thing Shadow had learned from his grandfather it was that no matter how difficult things were, even if he'd lost everything he ever knew, he had to keep going for as long as he had. _'If Rouge ever learns that I still have it in myself to laugh at memories, she'll never forgive me for being so quiet.'_

That sobering thought was enough to get him back under control, and he continued on his search for a man he'd never met.  
...

Unbeknownst to Shadow, Manic was wandering the Island himself. After his announcement Knuckles had gone overboard on readying the Island for the arrival of invaders. Sabbat had taken the time to fill in Manic with as many details of what had happened as he could (after the initial panic), which was why Knuckles was freaking out about the arrival of multiple people instead of just an insanely large dragon. That backup from Manic's adoptive family was also headed for the Island did little to ease the echidna's panic. All entrances to the Hidden Palace had been put in lock-down and the Chaotix, Sonic, and Sonia were acting as sentries or out patrolling much like Manic was. The Guardian had proven to be so paranoid that he had them sleeping in shifts so that all of them would be rested by the time any invaders arrived. Above all, Knuckles was adamant that the Hidden Palace _would not_ be found. None of the triplets bothered asking why.

Not willing to trust only his eyes in the dark, Manic let his mind range over the Island. Every sense was strained to its limit and he could almost feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Few things ever truly scared him senseless these days; the thought of facing one of the larger dragons was enough to give him an edge of queasiness he hadn't felt since his first 'hunt'. _'Goddess above, I'm going to die…'_

All thoughts of his predicted death were soon abandoned, however, when he felt the slightest brush of a foreign mind. It was little more than a ripple of emotion, like a still pool of water suddenly disturbed by the barest touch of a finger. The thoughts were calm and collected… Not serene necessarily, but there was a certain _sleekness_ to the mind that caused him to stop in his tracks for a moment. _'That's… weird. Not even Espio's mind is that calm. Hell, not even the _Oracle's_ mind is _that_ calm!'_ Like a fish on a hook, Manic followed the 'sound' of the intruder. True, direction was hard to tell with his empathy, but much like actual hearing things tended to become more 'muffled' the further away from the source he was. With just a little luck he'd be able to close in quickly. _'I'm just glad it's _not_ a dragon…'  
_...

Shadow's ears automatically swiveled as if to catch a noise the moment he felt the faint brush against his thoughts. It wasn't focused enough for a telepath, but… A smirk tugged at his lips. _'So he _is_ here. Rouge… You're going to be livid.'_ The dark hedgehog came to a stop and deliberately parked himself by a tree that towered over him by about a mile. He knew that the other hedgehog was getting closer, could _feel_ it as his own telepathy briefly flickered on only to die out a second later. _'He's looking for me… Let's give him an easier time of it, shall we?'_ Deliberately dropping his mental barriers, Shadow focused on as many of the fine details of the area as he could take in at once. He couldn't have thrown Manic a clearer 'Here I am- come and get me' if he tried. Almost as soon as he heard the thief's breathing, he smirked. This was going to be fun.  
...

Manic's eyes locked on the darker hedgehog, widened as soon as he made out the other's outline, and he froze in place. As the intruder slowly turned to face him, unsurprised red eyes looking him over, the first thought to run through the thief-prince's mind was a dazed, _'Oh… my God…'_

The two stood like that for some time, eyes locked, before the darker spoke. "So you're the empath."

Manic couldn't help but stare stupidly. His heart was pounding in his ears and his mind didn't want to function. Comprehending that the other was a threat was made near-impossible by his thoughts hitching on the darker hedgehog's appearance and attitude. _'And that voice…'_ The other's voice was just as flawlessly smooth as his mind, despite its faint Japanese accent. _'…He knew I was coming.'_ The breath caught in his throat.

"You're… 'Kleptomaniac' if I'm not mistaken?" he said in an amused drawl that was more statement than question. Manic's wide-eyed shock was confirmation enough. "So you are…"

The thief felt a shiver run down his spine. "Who the hell _are you_?" Manic asked in a whisper, forgetting to even _try_ to use his false-accent. _'Don't lose focus, don't lose focus, don't lose focus! He's an enemy! You can't trust him! You don't know him! Don't lose- oh goddess…He's a telepath…'_ The amused look on the other's face as his mind flickered through Manic's left him with a sinking sense of dread.

"Shadow," he stated, his accent deliberately stressed. With a smirk that made Manic's tenuous hold on his purpose even more threadbare, Shadow stated. "I've heard about you… You intrigue me. Most empaths I've ever had the pleasure of knowing can't stand to see others hurt… Or _feel_ it as the case may be. But you…" He cocked his head to the side quizzically, a detached curiosity rippling through his mind to lap at the borders of Manic's. "You're unique. Tell me, what is it that makes you so special? What is it that allows you to do what is forbidden to all other empaths?"

Manic couldn't think clearly, and he _knew_ that Shadow wasn't tampering with his mind. Any difficulty he was having was purely his own, and that made him feel a faint bite of panic. "W-why in the hell do you want to know?" He snapped, slamming his mind closed like a trap. He _did not_ want Shadow poking around in his mind at that moment- not when it was running off in directions he didn't want it to go about someone he didn't even know. Shadow's amusement rippled through his mental walls even as his lips twitched ever-so-faintly upward. _'The bastard is having _fun_ with this…He _knows_…'_

"Call it innocent curiosity," Shadow replied as he took a step closer to the thief. The mirth dancing in his eyes as Manic took a step back made the thief internally curse himself. Both for showing weakness and for the new tangent his mind chose to run off to.

Much though Manic wanted to argue otherwise, Shadow clearly had no intention of being a threat at the moment- not with the various ripples of thought that he was _letting_ Manic have access to. And he _was_ just _letting_ him; the thief-prince bore no illusions as to that. Shadow's telepathy might have been flickering inconsistently, like a mental brightness that mimicked a candle-flame, but it was blatantly obvious that if he didn't want Manic to 'hear' anything from him it would have been _easy_ for him to keep his mind silent. That knowledge pushed Manic's panic-button to the border of full-on-terror; creating an internal war between his fear and his dazed fascination. "I suppose you're just the first one here," he growled, trying in desperation to cover the confused swirl of his emotions.

"Hn. She said you were smart," he smiled in return. "Maybe I'll get a chance to find out just how much at a later time."

As Shadow turned to walk away, Manic felt his breathing return to normal. It was infinitely easier to think somewhat clearly when those red eyes weren't looking at him. His temper flaring, largely at himself, Manic reached for Shadow and snarled, "Now wait just a damned minute! Where do you-" Though he saw every second of it, he was unprepared for Shadow's speed when the darker hedgehog spun around and darted behind him to get him in a head-lock. The fact that Shadow was just as fast as Manic was so unexpected that the thief froze in place and his eyes went wide. Nor was it helped any by the fact that he _knew_ in such close proximity Shadow very likely could _smell_ the conflicting emotions raging in his body. The thought caused an unwanted tremor to ripple through him.

"As entertaining as this exchange has been," Shadow hissed into Manic's pierced ear, "Now is not the time. Besides, I'm certain you and I will have plenty of time to become better acquainted later." Releasing him as suddenly as he'd grabbed hold; Shadow shoved him away so that he stumbled forward a few steps. At the fiery golden glare that was aimed at him, Shadow grinned, "Until next time 'Kleptomaniac'."

"What the hell are-"

"Chaos… Control…"

"-you?" Manic blinked to clear away the phantom lights left by the bright flash of Shadow's departure. For a few moments he stared dumbly at where the other hedgehog had been; his disbelief broadcasting with no control to anyone who might be close enough to feel it. Those brief minutes wrenched through his mind in a rapid-fire replay that soon turned his disbelief to pure rage. Throwing back his head he roared, "_KISAMAAAA!_"

He had perhaps only a few minutes to calm himself before Mighty crashed through the undergrowth with a bewildered frown on his face. "Manic? What happened?"

His breathing ragged with the edge of his anger and his quills bristling, Manic stated, "I just ran into our first intruder."

* * *

Review people! You know you want to! And as a bonus I'll be sure to get the next chapter up by the 14th! n_n Maybe sooner...


	7. Strand 7: A Tangled

Disclaimer: I only own my own creations, thoughts, ideas, etc. Devious genetic-engineered hedgehog humor ahead... It's Valentine's Day!

Author's Note: As promised, it's here! Chapter seven! However, as I have a horrible sense of humor and it is Valentine's day, it only seemed apt that this chapter be posted today. That being said, I'm sure you'll understand why I've been cackling maniacally to myself (and various others) about the chapter once you've read it. Barring college eating my life, I should have the next chapter up relatively soon. Again, bigoted flames (not that I really think I'll get any at this point) shall be laughed at. As ever and always, read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

"-His name is Shadow," Manic growled as he paced back and forth in front of the others. So great was his agitation that the only other instance that compared had been when Knuckles had cornered him about his forays into the night months ago- the one right before his attack of empathy. The reminder was enough for the thief-prince to make an effort to calm himself. _'Agitation makes me more vulnerable to it… Crap… Okay, CALM. DOWN.'_ He'd already long since given up using the fake accent after his run-in with Shadow.

Sonic sat on an arm of the couch, arms crossed and aiming a confused look at his brother. "So what's the big deal? Normally you can handle just about anything that comes your way. You've even said as much."

"You don't _get it_," the green hedgehog snapped, his tail lashing back-and-forth like a cat's, "He _knew_ I was coming toward him before he even _heard_ me. He's a yipping 'path!"

"A _what_?" Sonia asked.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Manic elaborated. "A telepath. _And_ he's fast. _And_ he can _teleport!_ _And_ he _knows_ who I am! In short: if it comes down to going toe-to-toe with him, we're screwed! As in _royally_ screwed! As in _so royally screwed_ that it would take an entire _millennium_ to even come close to explaining how completely and _utterly screwed_ we all are if he decides to kill us!"

His mind was so much of a chaotic bundle of conflicting thoughts and anxiety that his empathy was going completely out of whack- alternately broadcasting his mood to the others and going silent by haphazard turns. The only control he seemed to have involved keeping any and all mental images, and anything _not_ related to his fears, to himself. Though he didn't like having anyone else know how unsettled he was, he absolutely _refused_ to let any of them get a glimpse at what else was running through his mind. _'Goddess above… Somebody shoot me already.'_

"Manic," Knuckles began in a growl, "Sit down, shut up, _and calm down._ We'll deal with this. We have to." Manic flopped onto the couch Sonic occupied as ordered, only to bolt back to his feet and anxiously start pacing again after about three minutes.

"I don't like the idea of going up against a dragon," Manic grumbled, ignoring the scowl directed at him by the Guardian. "But I would _rather_ face the biggest dragon in the world than deal with 'Shadow'. At least _then_ there'd be a chance and I wouldn't have to worry about my mind being read and-"

"MANIC," Knuckles barked out, "ENOUGH. Stop panicking."

"What do _you_ have to be panicked about?" Sonic asked Manic dubiously.

A near-hysterical laugh escaped Manic before he could stop himself and he started ticking his reasons off on his fingers, "What do _I_ have to worry about? Really? Hm… Let's think… Lesson One of living on the street, Farrel's rules: _never_ get in over your head. Never get into a situation where you don't stand a chance. Lesson Two: _never_ get into a fight with someone who can read your mind. Or, if you're the one who can read minds, _never_ get into a fight with someone who knows how to block that. _He does_. He's a telepath, _and_ he can keep me from 'hearing' him at the drop of a hat! The only reason I was able to read him at all is because he _let me_. Oh yeah, and Lesson Three: _never_ get into a fight with someone faster than you if you can help it. Again, he _is_. Speed is one thing, _but he can teleport_. Even at my fastest, I _can't_ keep up with that. _You_ can't keep up with that, Sonic! WE. ARE. SCREWED."

Taking a deep breath to ease his building temper, Knuckles quietly stated, "Manic, enough. We'll deal with him when we deal with him. Right now you're panicking and you're not going to be doing anyone _any_ good that way. Go get some sleep."

"Oh, right. _How_ am I supposed to sleep when-"

"Espio," Knuckles finally snapped, "Make sure he gets some sleep even if you have to knock him out in order to do it." Sonia and Sonic's eyebrows shot up, but clearly they agreed with him to some extent due to their lack of protest.

Manic scowled at them and the smirking chameleon, but stalked off to the room he shared with Sonic all the same. Flopping onto his bed, ears swiveling as he caught the sound of Espio parking a chair outside the door, he gave a sigh. _'Maybe Knux is right… Maybe I'm just panicking too much to think clearly…'_ A snort of self-derision escaped him. _'No spraint Sherlock! So damned out of it that I'm broadcasting without any control… I haven't been _this_ bad with my control since I was _five_.'_ With that degrading thought running through his mind, Manic buried his face in his pillow. Maybe getting some sleep _would_ put things in perspective so he wouldn't be so rattled in the morning…

* * *

"_So you're the empath."_

_Manic couldn't help but stare stupidly. His heart was pounding in his ears and his mind didn't want to function. _'And that voice…' _The other's voice was just as flawlessly smooth as his mind, despite its faint Japanese accent. _'…He knew I was coming.'_ The breath caught in his throat._

"_You're… 'Kleptomaniac' if I'm not mistaken?" he said in an amused drawl that was more statement than question. Manic's wide-eyed shock was confirmation enough. "So you are…" Manic stood frozen as the other hedgehog walked toward him, only coming to a stop when they were a foot apart. "I've heard about you… You intrigue me." Shadow cocked his head to the side quizzically, a detached curiosity rippling through his mind to lap at the borders of Manic's as he reached to gently take hold of the thief's chin with his right hand. "You're unique. Tell me, what is it that makes you so special? What is it that allows you to do what is forbidden to all other empaths?"_

"_W-why in the hell do you want to know?" he asked weakly, his body trembling from the minor contact._

_Red eyes lit up with amusement and a faint hunger. "Call it innocent curiosity," Shadow murmured, dangerously close to the thief-prince._

_Manic's breath caught in his throat for a moment, causing him to stammer when he spoke. "I- I don't see why you'd be so interested…"_

"_Oh no?" Shadow asked, his hunger taking a slightly sharper edge even as his amusement rolled through Manic. _

_The thief gulped nervously, shaking his head instead of trusting his voice._

"_Then allow me to enlighten you," Shadow practically purred, leaning forward to graze his lips over Manic's and lacing his left hand through the quills on the back of his head to-_  
...

Manic bolted awake so suddenly that he fell off the bed and hit the floor with a resounding THUD. He laid there for a few moments, his heart pounding as he stared wide-eyed at the ceiling without even taking in the dim shine of the ever-present water-ripples. _'Oh no… Oh _HELL_ no… I am _NOT_ crushing on him!'_ As he sat up, he let his face fall into his hands and muttered aloud, "Why can't I ever fall for somebody in a _normal_ way?" If his sibs ever found out… _'I'll be _damned_ if I let them figure _this_ out! There is _NO WAY IN HELL_ I'm letting either of them know that just dreamed about a guy that could kill us all!'_ Then again, hadn't that been what he'd said after he initially met Rouge? Resisting the overwhelming urge to start banging his head against a wall, Manic pulled himself up and headed for the door. _Anything_ was preferable to following the train of thought his mind wanted to pursue; so the sooner he found something to occupy himself with, the better.

...

When Manic rejoined the others, he found that the sun was in the process of coming up- and so far there had been no other indication of Shadow or the others that were due to arrive. He couldn't help but feel a spike of irritation at the relief he felt as a result. _'This _isn't_ how things are supposed to go. I'm _not_ supposed to be _this damned rattled_ about ONE damned meeting!'_ His agitation didn't go as unnoticed as he hoped; Sonic and Sonia frequently checked with him to be certain he was alright, and Charmy kept hovering around with a worried look on his face as if he hoped he could help Manic in some way. Their concern only made it worse. Eventually his inability to sit still caused him to bolt off for a quick patrol of the Island, deliberately ignoring any worry he felt from the others. Far better, in his mind, that he patrolled and put his excess energy to good use instead of sitting in one place fidgeting until something happened.

As he ran, he tried to clear his thoughts. He wanted to be worn out, pushed to his limit, about ready to collapse from exhaustion just so he could stop thinking about his run-in with Shadow and the tangents his mind wanted to run off on; but he knew he didn't dare do anything so reckless. _'Can't fight a dragon if you're so worn out you can't even _walk_.'_ Another colorful image sprang to mind and he shivered as he came to a stop. _'What the hell is _wrong_ with me?'_ He knew the answer to that one, much though he didn't want to consider the possibility. Giving himself a vigorous quill-rattling shake, almost as if he'd just stepped out of a shower, Manic bolted off again.

* * *

Shadow couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he watched the rapid-fire actions of the thief. He knew he'd gotten to Kleptomaniac; there was no question as to that, but this… _'I think I've spent a little too much time around Rouge. My sense of humor is getting to be far too much like hers.'_ The darker hedgehog was trailing after the rattled empath at a leisurely pace, deliberately keeping his thoughts under lock-and-key so as to not be read. And really, the sporadic mess of Kleptomaniac's thoughts that were wildly broadcast with almost no control was highly amusing. Certainly, the empath didn't seem to feel that he needed to guard his thoughts so much when he was out here alone… And with his own telepathy flickering on and off, there were some moments where Shadow was picking up far more than just randomly broadcast images and emotions.

'_Ah, Rouge… You're going to be even _more_ livid when you realize how much difficulty your ex is having where I'm concerned…'_ Shadow's curiosity was piqued, but now entertainment at the other hedgehog's (rather frazzled) expense seemed a far more worthwhile pursuit than mere scientific interest. Still, there was _some _scientific curiosity… That Shadow's telepathy was being far more active than was typical was an interesting twist; one that he had a sneaking suspicion had to do with the close proximity of the all of his studies he had never considered the possibility that psycheo-pathic abilities could be encouraged by association with others. _'Perhaps like a group of people having gone mute for lack of conversation being more inclined to speak if they meet a person that knows the same language?' _It was an interesting theory, one he would have pursued in a different life, but there wasn't much point. The world as it was had no need for him to further his old research, not when there were far more important things to tend to. _'Such as unwanted missions…'_

Shadow couldn't repress his amusement as the frazzled thief bolted again, though he managed to stay silent. No need to let the thief know that he was being followed by letting out a laugh. _'…Forget the mission given by 'the Disgrace'; rattling Kleptomaniac's cage is _far_ more entertaining.'_

No doubt Rouge would be _less_ than pleased if she found out what he'd been up to. His telepathy suddenly kicked on again and he felt just the faintest distant brush of her mind. _'Ah, so she's almost here. Hn. I suppose that ends my fun for the time being.'_ With another amused glance at the agitated hedgehog, he smirked before darting off to improve upon his mental map of the Island. _'Don't get into too much trouble Kleptomaniac. I'm looking forward to frustrating you to no end… And you need to stay alive for that.'_

_

* * *

_

Rouge had a hard time sitting still as the Island came into view, her irritation at Shadow's departure giving her the urge to hunt him down and vent. _'He teleported. He _knows_ I _hate it_ when he teleports. He just _disappears_ without leaving a single clue as to where the hell he's gone, no explanation, and no damn apologies for how _damned rude_ it is!'_ She tried to ignore her frustration by busying herself with helping Marietta get detangled from Liidara's mane when she woke, but that was only a temporary distraction. Even detangling the dragon's mane proved to do very little in the way of taking her mind from her anger toward her friend. _'So damned similar to Manic that it makes me want to punch him outright…'_

It was that temper that led her to stand as soon as she felt the first tug of the Floating Island's slipstream on her wings. Stretching them out, she tried to gauge whether the slipstream was strong enough for her to be able to fly out in front of Liidara.

Marietta arched an eyebrow and asked dubiously, "Thinking of going after your _boícha_?"

"Shadow _is not_ my boyfriend," Rouge snapped defensively.

Marietta gave a derisive snort and went back to checking her weapons. "Then why be so offended when he takes off?"

"Because teleporting off like that is _damned rude!_"

"He could have done so in order to get an idea of the lay of the land."

"I doubt that," Rouge growled. In the meeting they'd had with Robotnik, Marietta had made it clear that she wouldn't go after the royal triplets even remotely; but she had no qualms about hunting Kleptomaniac. It was for this reason that Rouge, Shadow, and Liidara hadn't brought up mention of the empath around her. Things were already tense with everything involved; they didn't need the added tension of having her realize that she traveled with two individuals that _wouldn't_ let her kill him. _'And judging by her attraction to Lord Condammer, she's not going to let anybody go after the royals… Robotnik really has no idea how screwed up everything is…'_

"Really?" Marietta scoffed, bringing Rouge out of her reverie. "And why might that be?"

The bat's lips thinned to a grim line before she stated, "There might be an empath on the Island. Shadow's got a damned oddity-fetish that he won't leave alone. So, knowing him, he probably went off ahead just to satisfy his damned curiosity and screw off the mission. _That's_ why." Deciding that she'd explained enough, Rouge leapt into the air and darted ahead of the dragon.

Giving a snort at the bat's retreating outline, Marietta stated, "_This_ is why I'm only attracted to _normal_ people."

Liidara gave a chuckle as she replied, "Would that we were all as fortunate as you, Rose." However, internally she couldn't help the worried thoughts rippling through her mind. _'Manyi, I pray you realize what triangle you've stumbled into before it's too late. Else-wise it seems Raati may more clearly become your enemy.'_ She put a bit more power into pumping her wings after that.

* * *

As soon as Espio spotted the dragon flying toward the Island, he bolted for the Hidden Palace at top-speed. They needed to regroup, collect at the Palace, and be prepared to fight for their lives. He knew this. He _knew_ that patrolling the Island wasn't going to do them any good as soon as the dragon arrived. He also knew that all of their efforts to locate this 'Shadow' Manic had run into were, thus far, useless. _'Not a single trace except footprints… Damned useless… Useless to hunt for, and just as capable as Manic said…'_ He hated having to admit that the thief-prince was right. He hated that his home was threatened even more. _'I lost my home five years ago- I'll be _damned_ if I let it happen again!'_

The first of the others he came across was Mighty, and despite his usual friendly frustration with the armadillo he found himself relieved. "Mighty! Dragon spotted; the Palace. NOW."

Mighty, long since familiar with Espio's clipped sentences when it came to preparing for a fight, nodded. "You tracking down the others, or do you want someone faster to do it?"

Espio tried not to scowl at the implication, but time was of the essence and this was no situation in which pride could be allowed to take part. "Not Knux. Emeralds need guarding. The triplets?"

"Sonia doesn't have the running-speed of the other two. Knux has her close by." Espio gave a noncommittal grunt at that. "Hey, I can't help if our _demsön_ is feeling protective of her, even if he doesn't have to," the armadillo protested, "As for Manic- he's still out. Sonic might be our best bet."

"Fine. Go. I'll find Charmy."

"You're sure about that? Sonic might be faster…"

Espio scowled. "He's a bee. Makes noise. He'll be _easy_ to find."

"Espio…," Mighty grumbled, "Don't push your luck. Sonic is faster. You said it yourself; we need to get back to the Hidden Palace…" At the chameleon's tight-lipped glare, he sighed. "Don't make me have to carry you back. _Please_." Espio's eyes remained a bright fiery-golden glare for a moment or two longer before they finally bled to a slivery-blue and he caved.

"Fine. I don't like it, but fine." Without one word more, Espio continued straight for the Palace.

Mighty gave a relieved sigh as he followed at a slower pace. Espio was always difficult to handle when he was upset; even more so when his pride was wounded. Anything, absolutely _any_ little thing that reminded the anti-social chameleon of the three years of hell he'd endured in Mercia was enough to set him off. _'If I'd had to carry him, he wouldn't have forgiven me for a month…As it is he barely forgives me for _being_ Mercian…'_ Ignoring the long-familiar feeling of resignation that washed over him, Mighty ran to catch up with his temperamental friend.

* * *

"It was rude," Rouge snapped.

Shadow shrugged indifferently even as he said, "You're going to fault me for running ahead so that I know the terrain?" The bat had had a hell of a time tracking him down, largely due to his evasion of the Island's inhabitants, but she'd eventually found him taking a leisurely stroll around the edge of the Floating Island's main lake and immediately started venting. That had been at four in the morning. It was ten now.

"Oh bull. You want to tell me that you came here _for that_? After the conversation you left on? I don't buy it."

Giving a snort, Shadow retorted, "Does it matter?"

"Yes, it matters."

"Why?" he finally snapped, "Because I ran off, possibly to satisfy whatever curiosity I might have?"

Rouge glared for a moment before turning her back to him. "You're just… reminding me of _him_ right now."

Shadow gave a sigh. _'Best not to tell her of my little run-in.'_ "Rouge… You are my _only_ friend. I am largely anti-social by nature, and I know you know it. I know that I'm reminding you of him, and I don't intend to, but I can't help if there are some vague similarities. I _will not _change myself just to suit your preferences."

Rouge took a breath and let it out before glancing at him over her shoulder. "I'm going to meet up with the Rose and Liidara. Keep yourself out of trouble, you old bastard."

Shadow gave a slight smirk in response, "Oh believe me I've long since learned my lesson about staying out of sight."

"You'd better have." Shaking her head, she muttered to herself, "Why do I put up with you?"

"I'm better than the alternative." Before she could even say anything, he was gone. _'She may not like my disappearing, but she'll have to get used to it. I _am not_ about to be tied down by her past history with Kleptomaniac.'_ An amused smile tugged at his lips. _'He's still out running around… Why not play with his mind a little?'  
_...

It didn't take long for him to pick up the thief's trail again. Darting out ahead of him and putting himself directly in the thief's path was just as easy. It was an old and worn trail in an area where the trees thinned near the cliffs, the occasional boulder of white stone dotted here or there due to old rock-slides. _'Now to wait…'_ Sure enough, Manic showed- jerking to a stop so sudden that he almost gave himself a case of whiplash. Amusement lit up Shadow's eyes and rolled off of him in waves; becoming more pronounced as the thief bristled and a faint blush showed beneath his fur. "Good morning," Shadow grinned.

"You," Manic growled, fighting desperately to regain his composure.

Taking a seat on a convenient boulder, Shadow arched an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"You- you just… _What the hell do you want?_" That the thief was already sputtering almost tempted Shadow into laughter.

Propping up his chin in one hand, he stated in affected boredom, "Want? I'm just the fore-runner, the scout as it were. I don't really want much of anything." At Manic's scoff of disbelief, he continued. "Of course, I might just be seeking amusement. Had that thought occurred to you?"

Manic gave a low rumbling growl. "'Amusement'?"

'_Testy… If I'm not careful I might actually have a fight on my hands.'_ "It's simple really," Shadow taunted, "I find you intriguing. Originally for the fact that you're an empath that can stand to kill- that's fascinating in and of itself really- but now there's more to it."

"Such as?" the thief warily asked; clearly about ready to either attack or bolt.

Shadow smirked deviously as his telepathy kicked back into life, and he silently answered, _"You know, you've come up with some interesting ideas while you've been debating over whether to fall for me or consider me an enemy… And how flustered you are as a result is just damned hilarious."_ A few images thrown in as a reminder strengthened the darker hedgehog's point.

Manic's eyes widened farther than Shadow had thus far seen and he bolted as if the very hounds of Chaos were nipping at his heels; the main thought in his mind being escape, though there were plenty of others hovering at the edges.

Shadow broke up into a fit of laughter. True, he had to meet up with the others again soon, but this was just too damned amusing. The temptation to taunt the thief was too much, so he couldn't help the parting shot before his telepathy blipped out again, _"You know; your scent gave away _sooo_ much during our last encounter. Maybe next time you'll be a bit less confused, hm?"_

Even though the response was via empathy only, and as such didn't contain any words, Manic's meaning was clear. _'I'm not coming anywhere near you with a ten foot pole, so just stay the hell away from me and stop trying to mess with my mind!'_

Shadow chuckled again as he got to his feet. "But it's so much _fun_…" He decided he would definitely have to keep Kleptomaniac alive, if for no other reason than that.

* * *

Marietta was annoyed. Neither Shadow nor Rouge had returned as she and Liidara landed, despite that it was about noon, and that more than anything tugged at her frayed nerves. _'This mission is falling apart before it even gets started.'_ Letting her eyes skim over the quiet landscape, she gave an indignant huff. She'd come only to have it out with Kleptomaniac, and she had more than ample reason to believe he was somewhere on the Island. The _last _thing Marietta wanted to deal with was beating around the bush- the sooner she could square off with the monstrosity and leave, the better. Since she had no means of calling back the other two, there seemed only one solution. Turning to Liidara, she said, "How about we call back the others and draw out our prey?"

"What do you have in mind?" Liidara asked.

"Let's light a few torches."

* * *

Well folks, there you have it: chapter seven. -evil grin- By all means let me know what you think.


	8. Strand 8: Mess

Disclaimer: Don't you think if I owned the series things would be a lot darker and make a lot more sense? And that I would have employed someone _other_ than Steve Urkel to voice the triplets? I think you see my point. I don't own them, I just own my own warped ideas, fiction, so on and so forth.

Author's Note: I can hear all of you in fanfic land screaming "Finally! An update!" at me. I apologize. Finals and all that fun joy that goes with it. Now I know I've made plenty of you nervous about the Manic/Shadow situation, and I will simply say this: even if it does happen, said romance is _not_ the main point of this fic. So even if it does occur (which I'm still debating), it would be a back-burner issue instead of an in-your-face kind of a thing. Because honestly, since when have any of you known me to write lovey-dovey sappy-faced sickeningly-cotton-candy-sweet fluff? _Really?_ And can any of you seriously imagine either of them giving dopey goo-goo eyes at _anyone_? Maybe I'm weird; I can't see that kind of sappy-ness coming from either of them. In any case, enough of my rambling! You're here to read and enjoy the fic, not read my blabbering. As ever and always; read, enjoy, review, and laugh as needed. n.n

* * *

Ray sat near Sonic outside one of the entrances to the Hidden Palace, rubbing down an old shield so that it shined like gold in the sun. True, it had been a long time since the Floating Island had had any dealings with dragons (at least a good century or two according to the histories written by previous Guardians), but the Guardian family-line had seen fit to keep several flame-resistant shields _just in case_. _'Worse than pack-rats… Guardians don't get rid of anything, and then they go and call them "heirlooms" so they can't.'_ He couldn't help shaking his head at that. Ray had long since given up trying to get Knuckles to pare things down a bit so they were much more manageable. _'I just like things to be more spare… And Sonic is twitching again. ADD, I _swear_.'_

Not even bothering to look up from the shield he was working on, Ray said, "You're getting about at fidgety as your brother."

"Can you _blame_ me?"

Ray gave a snort of amusement at that. "Not really. Him, maybe; but not you… You have a little thing known as 'common sense' and you're freaking out about a dragon. Perfectly understandable. Your brother? I have _no idea_ what the heck _his_ problem is. He's been freaking out since he came back from that run-in with 'Shadow'."

Sonic's eyes were trained on the forest as he crossed his arms and began drumming the fingers of his right hand on his arm. "I've never seen him like this," he grudgingly admitted.

"There's a first for everything," Ray replied as he eyed his reflection. "Could be that this 'Shadow' really got to him somehow. The teleporting maybe? And he said himself that a person who could teleport is bad juju…"

Sonic gave Ray a bemused look for a second before he broke down and laughed. When he collected himself he grinned at the squirrel. "Not exactly in those words if I remember right."

"Close enough," Ray retorted. "Point being: Shadow freaked your brother out. Is that good enough reason for all of us to be nervous about him? I don't know. You know your brother better than I do. Hell, to all of us he's pretty much a mystery. If there's one thing I've learned, it's this: no point in trying to figure anyone out until they're _actually_ willing to be honest and open. That applies to your bro _and _Shadow both."

The hedgehog frowned at that, his green eyes troubled. "And you think Manic isn't?"

"Pft! I think your brother has a lot to hide," Ray snorted as he finally looked up to meet his friend's eyes. "Your brother has about as much to hide as Espio or Mighty- and that's saying something. If we're using a black-and-white scale, your brother is _definitely _a shade of grey. I don't doubt that there's something going on with him, and that normally he has no reason to freak out about anything; but you have to admit that he isn't exactly what you'd call forth-coming. Case in point: his empathy. He didn't say a word about it until Espio out-ed him. So yeah, I'd say he isn't being completely honest. Keeping that in mind, it wouldn't surprise me if he's hiding the main reason that Shadow freaks- oooooh boy… Pissed chameleon is pissed."

True to Ray's sudden proclamation, Espio was stalking toward them in a high temper; red and black shadows raging across his skin in rapid-fire succession. Before either of them could say anything, he snapped out, "The dragon is almost here. We have a few _minutes_. Sonic, get the others on patrol and regroup at the Palace." Judging by his tone he would have preferred to keep his words more clipped, but had opted for being clearly understood instead.

Sonic opened his mouth to protest Espio's tone, but stopped himself when he saw the subtle shake of Ray's head warning him off. "Go. You've got a better chance of getting to the others first," Ray stated, the subtext of what he meant blatantly obvious to the hedgehog. _Don't go starting fights when we can't afford them._

Sonic nodded to them both and darted off, streaking past Mighty as he went. Was there a similarity between Manic and Espio? Was Manic actually hiding something about _why _he was scared of Shadow? He didn't like either thought, and that brought a bigger question to mind: Did he really want to find out if Ray was right?

...

Sonic ran as fast as his legs could carry him, quickly taking tally of the others as they returned to the Hidden Palace. _'If only I could find- There he is!'_ He came to a screeching halt in Manic's path, forcing the thief to come to a stop.

"Sonic, what's up?" Manic asked, not doing a very good job in his attempt to hide his anxiety.

"The dragon's finally been spotted. We've been asked to regroup at the Palace. Pass it on to anybody else you run into."

"Who have you already found?"

"Vector. Espio was the one that told me, and Mighty was right on his heels. Ray, Knux, and Sonia were on guard duty."

"Which leaves Charmy."

"I'll find him," Sonic assured him.

Manic hesitated for a moment, but nodded. "Watch out for Shadow," he cautioned, "He likes to sneak up unexpectedly."

"Will do." As they separated, the question of how much Manic was hiding ran through Sonic's mind again. _'…Doesn't matter. He hides his past by habit- he's even admitted that. All it takes is asking him; and now is _not_ the time to ask!'_

He continued on his way, over and around several hills and streams until he found the bee. Charmy was slowly sneaking toward a pillar of smoke that was stretching into the sky, intent on the source and getting closer. _'Smoke…? Not good!'_ Darting forward, Sonic hissed to the bee, "Charmy! We need to get back to the Hidden Palace _now!_"

Looking back and forth between the smoke and Sonic, Charmy whispered back, "But… we know that the dragon isn't the only one coming to the Island. If we can just get close enough to see who's _with_ the dragon, then we can tell everyone else…"

Sonic regarded the bee silently for several seconds, those big blue eyes practically begging him to allow even this small contribution of knowledge about their enemy. Running a hand through his quills, he muttered, "Spraint… Alright, but as _soon_ as we see or they catch sight of us, you grab on to me and you _don't let go_." Charmy nodded and the two of them crept as close to the source of the smoke as they dared. A large bush provided adequate coverage for the both of them and they crept in on hands and knees, but Charmy crept closer when Sonic stopped. "Charmy! Get back here!"

"I'm okay, they won't see me 'cause I'm smaller."

"_Charmy!_" Sonic hissed vehemently. _'Damn it all, this kid is going to get us both _killed_!'_ Rather than waste the opportunity by giving away their position, regardless of his concerns, as soon as Charmy came to a stop Sonic peeked from the bush to get a look at what they were up against. The first thing to greet his eyes was the sight of the biggest dragon either of them had even heard of. She was setting fire to the tops of the trees nearest to her and fanning the flames with her wings with a nonchalance that made the situation even more horrific.

"Sh-she's _big_," Charmy whispered in quaking terror to Sonic.

In Sonic's mind the bee was perfectly justified in his terror. It would just be _stupid_ to not be scared of a dragon that could eat _both_ of them in one bite. "We need to go," he hissed, trying to put up a brave front for Charmy's sake. He knew, if not for the kid, he would have bolted in an instant.

"I- I can't move," Charmy whimpered, his wings shivering.

'_Crap. Panic. Not good.'_ "Come on Charmy, we need to get going. We can't let her see us."

"I- I- I can't move. I'm scared. I don't think I can fly…"

"Ssh! Keep it down. Just… Come here and I'll get us out of here. I promise. Just come here," Sonic whispered, extending a hand toward the bee.

Charmy's terrified gaze looked back at him pleadingly. "I can't move," he whimpered.

"Just try. C'mon Charmy… You're the youngest Chaotic. You don't get to earn that title if you can't contribute more than anybody else expects! It isn't that far… Just to me and then we'll go. Okay? Just try to get to me."

Charmy took a deep breath and tried to inch back to Sonic, but in his panic he snapped a branch of the bush. They both froze in horror as the dragon ceased her blaze and whipped her head around to focus on their hiding place. Tears started welling in the young bee's eyes as his fear overwhelmed him. "I can't- I can't make it. She's gonna kill me… I'm gonna die… I- I- I don't wanna die- I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"Spraint!" Sonic snapped out as Charmy wailed in panic. He lunged forward and scooped up the bee before he spun on his heel and bolted out of the bush, deliberately weaving so he'd be harder to hit. As he ran, he heard the dragon take a deep breath. _'Oh no… Oh Goddess above, NO… No, no, no, no, NO!'_ Within seconds he was running at a speed just below the sound barrier, hoping against hope that he could out-run a determined dragon's flame.

* * *

The first gout of flame took them all by surprise. The Chaotix had regrouped for the most part, but Sonic and Charmy were still missing when it happened. Manic had joined the others almost as soon as he and Sonic crossed paths, but he had a hard time repressing the urge to go back out when he saw the flames. _'Where in the hell _are_ they?'_ Manic wasn't the only one worrying; his sister and the Chaotix were with him just inside one of the many entrances to the Palace and they were all watching the forest for any sign of Sonic and Charmy.

Almost as if in answer, there was a sudden sonic boom in time with a second blast of fire. Long before they saw Sonic, they heard him as he bolted their direction. "SPRAIIIINT! !" Another blast of flame hit the section of forest their eyes were locked on a second before the blue speedster leapt through with a dazed Charmy in his arms. "A LITTLE HELP HERE?" he squawked as he bolted into their midst in a cloud of smoke.

"Sonic, what-" Knuckles and Sonia began in unison.

"Dragon," he squeaked in one of the least dignified tones he'd ever used in his life as he passed Charmy to the echidna, "Really… BIG dragon…"

Before anything else could be said, the dragon in question crashed through the burning trees with the ease of a wrecking ball. Almost against their will, their eyes traveled up… and up… and up the black dragon's body and neck to take in her monstrous head. Charmy fainted in the Guardian's arms.

"Your friend wasn't kidding 'bout the size of that thing," Vector said in a horrified whisper to Manic.

There was no question about survival; unless something drastic was done, they were all going to die. Knuckles felt his heart sink into his stomach as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. '_How in the hell are we supposed to face down a dragon of that size? There's no way! Unless…'_ He shook his head emphatically. He didn't want to resort to the Floating Island's greatest secret, the Emeralds, unless he had no other choice. _'But what choice _is_ there?'_ The thought of having to resort to such drastic means made him feel as if the Island had been tugged out from underneath his feet.

"I _know_ that dragon…" Manic muttered breathlessly, his eyes wide. The others turned to him in disbelief, which became slack-jawed shock as he bolted out of hiding.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EVER-LOVING MIND?" Mighty yelled after him, "DO YOU _WANT_ TO DIE?"

"Manic, _come back!_" Sonia pleaded desperately.

Manic didn't answer, ignoring all of them as he ran toward the dragon. There was no time to explain. It was either do or die; and he _knew_ that no dragon in existence could ever identify someone by sight if they were focused on setting fire to things. _'Damn dragons and their third-eyelids!'_ Coming to a stop before her, he yelled up at her in a stream of fluent Mercian that left the others staring at him in slack-jawed wonder. "Liidara! _So mahtyi chal kyat aremsön-_"

Mighty's expression made it all too clear he wondered whether or not reality was stable. "Es- Espio… Did he just say…?"

"Yes, he did," Espio stated grimly. "He just called that dragon 'the love of his sister'."

Before any further commentary could be made, Manic bellowed out, "-Tahl, _Aremsön_ _Daemon Drakonis_, Dahnalia! Liidaraaaa! DAMN IT, LISTEN TO ME!" Several things happened in that instant: the dragon swallowed back the fire she'd been building; Knuckles's eyes went wide at the echidna name Manic had spouted off; and Espio and Mighty's eyes met in pure shock.

"He knows…" Mighty murmured.

"…Tahl," Espio finished.

Her third eyelids flicking out of her vision almost immediately, Liidara locked her eyes on Manic. "Manyi?" she breathed in disbelief.

"About... _damned time_," Manic snapped raggedly, forgetting his accent in his frustration. "You mind telling me _what the HELL_ you're doing working for the Great Blubber-Ass?"

Her wings cinching in closer to her body in chagrin, Liidara replied, "I needed to find you. To know what happened to Tahl."

In that instant, Marietta stood from her hiding place between Liidara's shoulders and snapped out, "Something happened to-?" And then her eyes widened as she recognized Manic. "Y- you knew Tahl? But- _HOW _could _you_ know Tahl?"

"Gee, let's _think_ about this!" Manic snarled, "It's called she was _only_ my adoptive sister for about as long as I can remember!"

"Your accent…" Marietta murmured in confusion, "A-aren't you supposed to have an accent? You _are_ Manic, right? Crown Prince Manic Sarashi Devonian Jules, right?"

"And you're, if I'm not mistaken, Marietta Tia'ras- maid to the puffed-up idiot known as Lord Bartleby Montclair Condammer. Or, as anybody who knows even _anything_ about Mercia would know you, the Mercian Rose. Do you want to get past the pleasantries and explain _what the crap _is going on?"

"Marietta?" Sonia squawked at the same time as Espio yelped,

"Rose?" The two of them snapped their heads around to look at each other.

"_You_ know her? But how-" they said in unison.

"_Espio?_" Marietta said in disbelief, "But you were- And Patros- and- _How did you escape?_"

"Long story," Espio replied curtly.

Manic's ears flopped to the sides, his expression unenthused, but relieved. "Great… Just great… Tahl and her damned connections strike again! _Not_ that I'm complaining, granted, because it means we all get to live another day, _but this is yiffing ridiculous!_"

"_Manic_," Sonia warned, only to be ignored as her brother plowed on.

"Okay. I can buy that Liidara came here looking for me to find out what happened to Tahl. That makes sense. But as for you, 'Oh Rose', why would _you_ come out of retirement?"

"I was hired to kill Kleptomaniac; nothing more, nothing less."

Manic was silent for a second, looked from her to his siblings, and then immediately burst into a fit of unrestrained laughter. "Alright! That's it! For the record _my life is officially screwed up!_ The _only_ thing that could _possibly_ make this entire situation even _MORE_ screwed is if-"

And that was precisely when Rouge caught up with Marietta and Liidara. On spotting Manic as she came in for a landing, with all of the venom she could possibly muster, she spat, "YOU."

"Speak of the yiffing devil!" Manic laughed almost hysterically as he leaned against one of Liidara's arms. "Now the entire situation has reached maximum screw-up capacity! Thank you, oh _wonderful_ karma; you've proven a _bito_ until the end!"

"Manic… Who…?" Sonia asked, vaguely motioning to the bat and having given up trying to get him to stop cursing in the confusion.

"Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce my, not so lovely, ex," Manic stated with a mocking bow to Rouge.

"Your _WHAT?_" Sonic and Sonia squawked at much the same pitch.

"And furthermore, for those _wonderful_ people who've yet to figure it out- Crown Prince Manic and Kleptomaniac are _one and the freaking same_. Anybody obsessed with killing me now? No? Didn't think so." Knuckles shifted Charmy to one arm and face-palmed as just about everybody else stared at Manic in disbelief.

Marietta finally collected herself enough to quizzically state, "How is that possible? You're too…"

"Pft. You honestly think that I couldn't play myself as _rock stupid_ if I wanted to? Think about it. Manic. Kleptomaniac. Klepto-Manic. All you need to do is add an 'a' and put 'Klepto' in front of my name. It's _really_ not that hard to figure out if you get past me acting like a moron."

"But…" Marietta frowned, "But what about the threat against Bartleby?"

"You threatened _Bartleby_?" Sonia snapped at Manic.

"Let me clear some things up," Manic stated, "First off- he deserved it. Secondly- _I_ didn't write the damned note… or leave the corpse on his porch. Third- I'd have to be yiffing stupider than the love-child of a doorknob and a box of rocks in order to let _my sister_ get married to a bastard that would let her brothers be _sold_ to a _lunatic_." The rage from both Sonia and Marietta was almost palpable, even if a person _wasn't _empathic.

At the last, Knuckles couldn't help the faint scowl that crossed his face. If Manic was telling the truth, then he couldn't help but agree wholeheartedly with him in his sentiments as to Bartleby. After all, how could he in good conscience let Sonia get married to someone that would sell out her brothers? _'I'm going to have to talk to him later…'_

"Huh," Shadow said from where he'd suddenly appeared next to Rouge. "I suppose this situation has become a lot more complex than any of us expected?"

A wide-eyed glance from Knuckles was directed at the dark hedgehog in response to the sudden flare of chaos energy. _'…My father is going to be livid. He's angry enough that I have the triplets here, but this… If he's not racist against hedgehogs already, I have a bad feeling that he's _going_ to be.'_

"_YOU_ can stay _THE HELL_ away from me!" Manic snapped as he immediately put Liidara between himself and Shadow. Rouge's venomous glare shifted from Manic to Shadow in an instant, only to be ignored.

Giving a sigh before everything could continue on in complete chaos, Liidara laid down where she stood and fixed her eyes on Knuckles. "You are the Guardian?" she asked. At his cautious nod, she stated, "I think, courtesy of Manyi, that you've nothing to worry about from us. If anything, I suspect we have become… _unexpected_ allies."

Knuckles let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and said, "If that's the case, then put out the fires on my Island. I don't want to live on a cinder."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Qet was making good time, inasmuch as was possible considering the load he was carrying. Sabbat was securely nestled between his wings and had his arms wrapped around the bird's neck so he wouldn't slip; Ka'eh was in the pea-hawk's arms bridal style. _'I… hate… carrying… this… much…'_ Normally Qetzenthala would take the hint that he was pushing his weight-limit when his _thoughts_ were as stop-start hitched as his breathing. _'Can't… afford… to know… my limits… Damn it!'_ Being what he was, he naturally didn't weigh too much for his body size. Both Sabbat and Ka'eh on the other hand had solid bones without any air-pockets- _'Strike one on weight control'- _and both, Ka'eh especially, were living walls of muscle- _'Strike two on weight control'_.

Were they facing normal circumstances, he wouldn't have _dared_ trying to carry them all the way from Robotropolis to the Floating Island. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the three of them were the only ones available for the Tryst captured and Baenya on eir way to inform Arajia as to what had happened, that had left the three of them- one of the best fighters in their 'family', a bird that was good at rapid-fire aerial acrobatics, and a little telepath to give them an edge they wouldn't otherwise have. It was just too damn bad that they hadn't had time to scrounge up a better method of transport. _'…Being air-cavalry sucks.'_

"Are you _sure_ you want to carry us the entire way without stopping?" Ka'eh asked for what felt to Qet like the umpteenth time.

"Doin'… just… fine…," he gasped out, pumping his wings for all he was worth. The ache of his second set of shoulder-blades was settling into a rhythmic throb that worked in time with his wings. Even his sternum where the muscles were anchored was beginning to ache. _'Damn my genetic make-up! Why couldn't I be part goose? They're power-flyers! Noooooo… I had to be half-hawk and half-peacock- _neither_ of which are built for long power-flights. Just speed.'_ Never mind his refusal to factor in the extra weight that was forcing him to work harder; if he thought of his difficulty in terms of the adoptive siblings he carried instead of a failing of his body build, he knew he would have already given up before having even gotten half as far as he had.

"We should really find some place you can land," Sabbat stated matter-of-factly.

"Said… I was… _fine_," he snapped back.

"Qet… I can _read your mind_. Remember?" Sabbat shifted _very_ carefully so as to not unbalance the pea-hawk's delicate flight-path. "You're exhausted and you _can't_ keep flying like this much longer."

"Qet- listen to the kid. Land. We're not going to make it there tonight, there's no way. Robotnik's second party won't get there for at least a few _days_. We can afford a rest," Ka'eh stated as she gently prodded at the shoulder for one of his arms. "You're not Tryst. You can't keep up this kind of flight for much longer."

Qetzenthala gave a growl of frustration. He _hated_ it when Ka'eh and Sabbat echoed each other. They'd been doing that a lot lately. It kind of reminded him of all the times Manic and Tahl had united against him when he got to be a little too over-the-top. _'Funny. Annoying, but funny.'_ He knew they were right, he _knew_ they were, but he didn't like it. "A bit… _farther_… Then I'll… land. Okay?"

"For yiff's sake, you _are not_ Manic, Tahl, or Tryst! _Stop_ trying to power-house your way through this," Ka'eh finally snapped.

"_Scrap_," Qet hissed back, resorting to the canine's old name from when they were little, "I… _can not_… give up. We're almost… there… And Manic… _needs_… back-up. _Okay?_"

Cinnamon-brown eyes glared at Qet as the part-wolf bared her fangs, "Land. NOW. Pushing yourself to the breaking point won't do _anyone_ any good. It won't do _Tryst_ any good. Manic can handle himself. So land; or so help me, brother or no, I'll cut off your damned air supply until you faint."

Qet gave a ragged scoff that contained just the slightest touch of avian screech. _'I've gotta be more exhausted then I think if _that's_ happening… damn it.'_ "This… high up? You'd… _really_… risk that… this high up?"

"Qet, I was adopted _and named _by a people _that aren't supposed to exist_. I _think_ I could figure out a way to make sure we don't die if I have to drop you. Don't make me have to do it. LAND."

Giving a gusty sigh that contained more relief than he wanted it to, Qetzenthala stopped pumping his wings and kept them steady as he began the spiraling descent. As he lazily let the air-currents and the extra weight of Ka'eh and Sabbat gently pull him downward, his silvery eyes swept over the Floating Island. _'Just ten more miles of air-space and I would have reached it… Goddess… my heart hurts.'_

* * *

Tryst was in pain; had been in pain for almost a full day and a half now. In a detached way, he had to admit that the echidna was inventive, if a bit sick and twisted in her head. By now he was certain she had nothing even remotely approaching sanity. Then again, he'd come to learn over his life that 'sanity' had an ever-shifting definition depending on who was asked. Certainly, some would argue that his defiance was insane. Most would have caved the instant she had thrown him into the room where Robotnik and the others that Nack had collected were milling around. He'd crashed into a mirror on the wall only to land on a table right below it that had broken in half on impact.

A smaller number wouldn't have caved at that point, but would have held up until he'd been dragged into the torture chamber he was in now- all metal walls, ceiling and floor with bright fluorescent lights dotting the edges and a camera in the farthest corner; racks of weaponry and torture implements; what looked like an operating table in the center; a few meat-hooks on the metal plates of the walls here or there… Yes indeed, the majority of those who could have withstood his sudden entry to _the bastards'_ 'meeting room' would have fallen into a quivering heap of terror on seeing the room. He'd had the guts to tell her that he thought she'd found her element- and gee; wouldn't some wonderfully helpful doctors in white coats at the happy farm be happy to give her a good solid dose of therapy free of charge?

Any that could have handled just _seeing_ the room would probably have caved the moment she started using the serrated blades. That had been pretty damned painful. When that hadn't gotten him to start screaming out all the information he'd overheard, stolen, and anything and everything she'd wanted to know about who he was working with, she got even more inventive. The sadistic _bito_ dragged him to a wall, stretched out one of his wings, and then punched a few more holes by hanging him on the meat-hooks. Oh, that had hurt, but he'd still refused to cave. So she hung up his other wing- and still he'd refused to talk. That was when she'd gotten her most inventive stroke of genius and raised the metal plate the hooks were attached to.

Again: pretty damn painful. Anybody else, anybody sane, would have caved and started telling her anything she wanted to know. She wasn't sane. She seemed to think his semi-crucifixion was hilarious. He'd told her that she redefined the terms 'just plain _wrong_' and 'touched in the head' simultaneously. She'd left him hanging in the dark for almost a day and a half now. No, she wasn't sane, no matter what definition you used. Tryst was pretty sure that anybody else would have called him insane for being so damned stubborn. The lights in the ceiling flickered on. The door opened. Miss Crazy herself was back and ready for more.

'Sanity' was a fluid word; the definition depended on the person… He could have left at any time; pulled himself off the wall, picked the lock on the door, walked out… could have gotten out and escaped. It would have been _easy_. But he stayed. He stayed. As long as he stayed, they'd be focused on him. They wouldn't go after Manic and Manic's blood-kin. They wouldn't go after his brother if he stayed. 'Sanity' was fluid; changeable; impossible to pin down because there were as many definitions as there were people in the world… Sanity… No, Tryst was pretty sure that he _himself_ was insane on some level. He didn't care.

Giving a grin past the dark blood lacing down his face and dripping from his chin, his Irish accent split the air, "'Ello, 'Great Lady Whore'. Come f'r Roun' Two?"

* * *

Do I even need to say it anymore? There be the button. Review, and I'll try to get some writing done so I can get the next chapter up more quickly.


	9. Strand 9: The Web

Disclaimer: I don't own most of the STH characters, yada yada yada. All I own are my random characters, plot-bunnies, fanfics, and all of the other random crud I come up with. Including Riá'shen. Especially Riá'shen because I happen to think he's awesome, but that's just me. Oh yes, and my delays-of-doom, because at the rate school has been eating my life I should probably get it trademarked and be done with it. Meh.

Author's Note: Ooookay, loooooong chapter due to a _looooong_ delay. I kid you not when I say school has been eating my life. Still, at least I'm alive and I finally got the chance to work on this fic (after freaking forever). Forewarnings to you all: more of Shadow being a snarky ass and annoying the hell out of Manic, Manic issuing death-threats to Shadow, and an extremely carnivorous and slightly hyper crochameleon-raptor-thing. Seriously, Gehmeh's older brother is almost like a show in and of himself. I'm beginning to wonder if 'Silent Scream' was really the best name to give him. You'll see when you read it. As ever and always read, enjoy, and review! I'm sure you'll be glad that you did.

* * *

When it came to laying things out so they made sense, the previously unknown connections proved every bit as confusing as they'd at first seemed. At the center of it all, seemed to be Manic's deceased adoptive sister- Tahl. She'd been Liidara's girlfriend (how that worked out over long-distance Manic wouldn't say); she'd been good friends with Marietta and Espio, which had eventually led to the two of them getting close; _and_ she had been the one to initially get Mighty to meet both Espio and Knuckles. She'd had a hand in almost all levels of society in Mercia and elsewhere, as near as they could figure, and her death had turned out to be the catalyst for Manic's actions as 'Kleptomaniac'. To say that everyone on the Island wasn't at least a touch befuddled would have been a bald-faced lie. The other parts of it, the harsher parts of it that none of them wanted to discuss turned out to be the most painful. Mighty wouldn't talk about how he'd met Tahl. Neither Espio or Marietta would talk about what had happened to the chameleon. Manic didn't want to talk about Tahl's death. None of them wanted to dig up painful history that had left gaping mental wounds; which left the others to wonder.

Shadow realized all of this, registered all of it clearly, but he refused to comment. Two metaphorical camps had formed; himself and Rouge, and everyone else. Liidara had firmly fallen on Manic's side, and thus the side of the Chaotix and triplets, out of old loyalty to Tahl. Marietta fell to the triplets' side out of loyalty to Bartleby and friendship to Sonia. Not so for himself and Rouge. Rouge had made it abundantly clear that if she had _actually_ hated Manic, she would have skinned him alive in an instant. As for Shadow… A smirk tugged at his lips. _'Ever the unknown variable, Shadow Robotnik… Grandfather would be proud.'_

The two metaphorical camps had quickly become literal with the onset of dusk. With the Guardian's permission they'd set up camp in a small clearing roughly fifteen feet off from the cave entrance. Closer to said entrance, the other group had set up camp under the stars. Between both camps laid Liidara with all of her impressive bulk. She had also (considerately) lit the small campfires. Shadow _knew_ that the Guardian was suspicious and didn't want to really trust any of the four invaders, but both Espio and Sonia had vouched for Marietta, and Liidara was genuinely apologetic and trying to help the echidna keep the peace.

Swiveling his ears to catch the sounds coming from the other camp, Shadow chuckled. _'It sounds like they're talking tactics now… Might as well make myself useful and put my two cents in.'_ Getting to his feet, he turned and started walking for the other camp.

Rouge gave a frown and asked, "Where are you going?"

Looking back over his shoulder with amused red eyes, he answered, "To eavesdrop and give some input on the conversation instead of being about as useful as a bump on a log."

"Oh, ha ha, very funny. You just want to spend more time satisfying your oddity-"

Shadow grinned. "You can't tell me it's not fun to mess with his mind."

Rouge was silent for a few moments before she finally said, "You've been around me too long. What would your sister say?"

"You don't want to know," he laughed before continuing on his way.

Rouge stayed put for a few more minutes, stubbornly staring into the fire. Finally she seized the bucket of water at her side and put out the fire. "Damn it all," she muttered as she followed after Shadow.

"-He's hired Patros," Marietta said, her eyes on the fire as her right hand rested on the hilt of the sword at her hip.

"He _what?_" Espio growled, his skin darkening almost immediately.

"Espio, fill me in. What makes this 'Patros' so terrible?" Knuckles asked. He sat directly across the fire from the chameleon, and so got a good look at the rage boiling just below the surface in Espio's eyes.

Were it possible, Espio would have bristled. His eyes swept over the circle of the others, debating over how much to tell them. Finally he asked, "How much do any of you know about Mercia?"

"It's a land with a regal-system a bit like mine and my brothers'… or like ours would be if not for Robotnik," Sonia said from her spot next to Knuckles. She wasn't exactly feeling too pleased with Manic, so she sat almost as far away from him as she could get; putting her closer to the entrance while he was calmly perched at the crook of Liidara's elbow. "They're very rigid about social status in relation to behavior though… They're not exactly sexist, and there is no open practice of racism, but they're very firm in the way they expect certain types of people to behave."

Mighty gave grunt of what could have been amusement as Espio gave a tense sigh. "That's putting it politely," the armadillo stated in a wry tone.

"Mighty, you tell it. I don't have the temper for it," Espio requested.

Giving a nod, Mighty did as asked. "On the surface Mercia isn't all that bad. Granted, there are rigid social roles, but the only thing that _really _seems to come into play in that is social class. Nobles only consort with nobles or royals- _if_ the royals choose to make that 'step down'; so on and so forth. Any 'peasants' don't even stand a chance of seeing half of what the nobility has access to unless they manage to be fortunate enough to make a 'step up' and work for them. Socially it comes off as a bit of a constrictive situation, but not too bad. But that's just the surface…" Mighty broke off as his expression became troubled.

"And?" Sonic asked impatiently only to whither under a warning look from Knuckles.

"In reality… Mercia is hell," Mighty stated. His normally cheery eyes were void of all warmth and his tone was full of a frigid ice that cut to the bone. When he continued, his body language and tone whispered of a rage-filled demon just rattling beneath the surface of his seemingly calm veneer. "The royalty, though they _do_ wield a lot of power, are largely figureheads. In reality, Mercia is ruled by the slavers… the monsters that go out hunting to rip apart the worlds of those who've done nothing worse than _live_. Anyone without enough clout, anyone not high enough on the social scale is fair game. Any 'peasant' that doesn't want to run the risk of getting grabbed and sold off themselves had best buy themselves at least one slave to prove they've got enough wealth to amply cover for them _and_ 'monetary dead weight'." With a snort of disgust he added venomously, "Owning another person is just one more damned proof of _rank_ in that hell-hole."

"Then…?" Sonia asked. She was highly unsettled, and found herself grateful when Marietta, who sat at her left side, took hold of her hand and gently squeezed in sympathy. _'…She might have been a mercenary before I knew her, but it's good to have an old friend here.'_

"I had the misfortune of getting too much of the wrong sort of attention," Espio stated, the chill in his tone reflected in his skin tone.

"Espio and I were actively involved in a splinter-group that was focused on ending the slavery of Mercia," Marietta said, "He was one of our best. His family… didn't know of his involvement. Their stay in Mercia was supposed to be temporary; a diplomatic excursion from Ahngest. Due to Espio's involvement with me, and his talents, the slavers wanted him eliminated as a threat. They hired Patros."

Most of the others turned to look at Espio. Not even the Chaotix had known this part of his history. Espio's tail curled in a circle about him, the spikes pointed outward as if for some minor defense. His rage when he spoke was quiet, yet promised just as much violence as the monster that had seethed in Mighty's tones. "Patros was…" _'…A monster.' _"I underestimated him. I _thought_ he'd be slow due to his size… I thought wrong. His orders were to _kill me_. He decided instead that there was no better revenge than to put me in the position of the very thing I fought against."

"He was captured-," Marietta put in as an effort to spare her old friend the necessity of saying it.

"-And _sold_," Espio snapped. "Three years of _HELL_ due to underestimating Patros. Whatever any of you do, do _not_ let him get the drop on you. He's strong, he's fast, and he's a damned tactician. Also," the red swirling into his eyes made it clear he would brook no argument, "when he makes his appearance, _he's mine._" Sonic no longer doubted that Ray had been correct in saying that Espio and Manic were similar.

"Fine," Knuckles grudgingly agreed. He wasn't stupid by any means, and he had no intention of getting in Espio's way when the chameleon was in such a mood. Memories of a blood-coated, chain-wearing Espio with hair-trigger responses were reminder enough. "What about the others Robotnik has hired? Any information on them?"

"Most I'm not familiar with," Marietta confessed.

"And only two were acquainted with Mercia to my knowledge," Liidara added apologetically.

From the ridge above the cave entrance, Shadow began rattling off names. He laid on his side, head propped up on his left hand, and a detached look of interest on his face. "Nack the Weasel, A.K.A. Fang the Sniper; Patros Damovoi- 'the Blood Hound'; Riá'shen- 'the Butcher'; Aridya Namos- 'the Death Mage'; and Lien-Da of the Dark Legion."

At the last all of Knuckles's attention was focused on Shadow. "_What?_ The D-… Did you just say _the Dark Legion?_"

"I did," Shadow answered, just as detached as ever.

"It _can't_ be! It can't! They'd never…" Everyone but the Chaotix and Shadow seemed perplexed by the enormity of this revelation.

When Manic spoke, his eyes were locked on Shadow and he asked curtly, "Shadow… Are you aware of what the Dark Legion _is_?"

A shade of amusement lit up in the dark hedgehog's red eyes, and when he spoke the Guardian's suspicion hit a fever-pitch. "I am indeed."

"If you know what they are, then _talk_," Knuckles growled challengingly.

"Simple," he smirked, "they are a splintered-off faction of your kin… eternally at war with your blood-line. Correct?"

"How do you _know that?_" Ray asked, his own suspicions mirroring Knuckles's. The other Chaotix were in much the same fine state.

"Robotnik keeps records. I just happened to go through them," Shadow lied easily.

"You're talking about ancient history- stuff that _I doubt_ Robotnik would ever _bother_ with," Mighty snapped.

Shadow shrugged. "He didn't. His… triple-great-grandfather _did_. There is very little of his grandfather's that he's bothered to get rid of. So while Rouge was busy negotiating with the _Disgrace_… I rifled through as much information as I dared." _'A little bit of truth goes a long way…'_

"And just _what_ reason would you have for that?" Knuckles scoffed.

Shadow turned his bored gaze to the tips of the fingers of his right hand. _'My claws are starting to cut through my gloves… I'll have to get new ones soon.'_ "Ivo is a joke," he stated, "and I've no liking for the man. Quite frankly, I wouldn't object if he had the misfortune to fall into a trash-compacter. Is it any surprise I would use any advantage I can get to make his life a living hell?"

"You were working for him," Manic pointed out coldly.

'_Clever… This game with you is really rather entertaining.'_ "On the contrary, I was merely a neutral party at Rouge's side. _She_ was the one he contacted and wished to employ. I was just… along for the ride."

Manic scowled at the emotions he picked up from Shadow. _'Bastard. Even now you're having fun at my expense.'_ "Somehow I doubt that. I know Rouge. You're not exactly the sort of company she typically likes to keep."

"Like you've got much room to talk? 'Oh-he-who-seems-to-have-a-talent-for-screwing-things-up'?"

Manic glared at Shadow outright and sent over an empathic stream that essentially amounted to, _'You'd best be damned glad that we're _trying_ to keep things peaceful, or I swear to the Goddess Herself that I'd rip your damned throat out with my bare hands.'_

Shadow gave an amused smirk as his telepathy kicked on again. _"You're assuming you'd be able to hurt me. You're assuming that you'd be able to get past your attraction; that you'd be able to stop blushing to your ears and keep your mind from wandering off into fantasy la-la land about all of the things you'd _like _me to do you. I don't think you'd do so well."_

"Stay THE HELL _out of my head_," Manic snapped aloud, glaring daggers at the darker hedgehog.

"I can't help what _you think_," Shadow mocked.

"Enough," Knuckles finally snapped. "Shadow."

"Hm?" His mask of disinterest slid as easily into place as Manic's typical mask of density.

"You know about the Dark Legion. You know _exactly_ who Robotnik has hired. You've said so far that you've been neutral. That isn't good enough. _What side are you going to fall on?_" the Guardian demanded.

Shadow considered, looking much as though he was internally debating something as minor as what he wanted to eat the next morning. He glanced again at Manic, who was _itching_ for an excuse to attack him, and nonchalantly stated, "I suppose I've little choice. I can't tolerate the Disgrace, I've promised that if Nack and I are ever alone in the same room that I'll very likely leave his mutilated corpse to be found the next morning, and I don't particularly enjoy the thought of having 'Kleptomaniac' trying to kill me."

"You're an ass," Manic snapped in Japanese.

"And I refuse to give you any moral grounds for attacking me," Shadow replied in the same language.

Returning to common, Manic snarled at him, "Die in a ditch."

"Been there, didn't happen that way."

"Boys," Marietta finally growled as her tail fluffed almost twice its normal size in irritation, "_ENOUGH_. One more word out of _either_ of you and, friend or brother of Rouge and Sonia or no, I _will_ exercise my old trade on _both of you_." Shadow held up his free hand as if in surrender. Manic kept glaring.

Giving a frustrated sigh, Knuckles asked, "So you've decided you're on our side?"

"I have," Shadow agreed. Manic gave a snort of distaste. _"What are you miffed about? I thought you'd like the excuse to spend time with me."_

'_I thought I told you to stay out of my head, you bastard.'_

"_You did, but it's fun to pick on you. You have some of the most _entertaining_ reactions-"_

'…_Shut up.'_

"What about Rouge?" Knuckles asked, directing the question to both Shadow and Manic.

Manic shrugged, acting as if he _hadn't_ just been going back-and-forth with Shadow mentally. "I'm in no position to speak for her. She and I didn't exactly end on a good note."

"And if you tried, I'd have to hurt you," Rouge said as she walked into the fire-light.

"Well?" Knuckles demanded.

"_Why is it that control of the situation has defaulted to the Guardian? Aren't you and your siblings royalty?"_ Shadow silently prodded Manic again.

'_It's his Island… I _thought_ I told you to _shut up_.'_

"_You can't fault me for being curious…"_

'_What part of "_SHUT. UP." don't_ you understand?'_

"_The part where I was supposed to give a damn."_

'_For the love of- SHUT THE HELL UP! Stay out of my head! Goddess above! What the hell is _wrong_ with you?'_

Rouge gave a sigh, completely oblivious to the silent argument between her friend and ex. "I may not exactly be pleased with Captain 'I Have to Save Everyone' over there," she said as she jerked a thumb toward Manic, "…but I don't want him getting killed either. And I can't, _and won't_, just ditch Shadow. So I'm on your side."

"Good," Knuckles stated.

"_See? Even Rouge is willing to get involved for your sake. Don't you feel special?"_

'_SHUT. UP. ALREADY! It's not hard! Shut up! It's a little thing called staying _out_ of my head and keeping your mouth SHUT. Is that _really_ so difficult for you?'_

"_Again, I reiterate, your reactions are so amusing to watch that they're incentive enough for me to keep bothering you."_

'_YOU are an impossible son of a _bito_ and I'm going to kill you in your sleep!'_

"_Good luck with that. Besides… I could be far worse."_

'_Why won't you leave me alone?'_ The tone of Manic's thoughts took on an edge of desperation.

"Any information you can give on what the others that Robotnik hired are capable of would be greatly appreciated Shadow," the Guardian said.

"Of course," Shadow replied; silently continuing on with Manic, _"I could just be sending you all sorts of terrible mental images…"_

'_DON'T. YOU. EVEN. DARE.'_

"_I think you're blushing…"_

'_SHUTUP!'_ Manic shot to his feet and started stalking off, drawing quizzical looks from the others.

"Manic, you okay?" Sonic asked.

"I just need some time away from _that_," Manic grumbled as he shot another glare at Shadow.

"_Awww… I'm _wounded_. I thought you'd _like_ that idea…"_

'_SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!'_

"…_Well then… Have a fun time off by yourself."_

'_YOU CAN DIE IN A MEAT GRINDER FOR ALL I CARE!'_

"…_You make a very poor liar, Manic."_

Sonic frowned, concentrating on a heavily puzzled feeling in the hopes that Manic might answer silently. A feeling of annoyance, accompanied by the mental image of a ceaselessly-babbling Shadow was the only response he received.

With a curt nod to everyone else, Manic stalked off into the night without any further explanation. He wasn't surprised when the conversation continued without him.

* * *

"…_Thunderhawk,"_ the Spirit Emerald murmured to the violet-furred echidna.

"Hm?" Thunderhawk had rousted himself from the Guardians' Lair- the normal lurking ground for the dead (or only _technically_ dead) Guardians- to take some time in the Emerald Chamber. He sat on the floor, legs crossed in a somewhat meditative fashion, in front of the main pedestal that held the emeralds; the Seven arranged in a circle around the Master Emerald herself. It was a rare thing for Spirit to speak to him directly. Far more frequently he heard either from Lightning or the Master Emerald- both of which had been his patron emeralds in life. _'Of course, one could argue that I'm closer to Lightning since the relationship is more personal than the status of "Guardian"…'_ Still, the purple emerald had chosen to speak to him and as such was not to be ignored. "What would you have to say to me, Qurraamnya?" he asked, politely using the Spirit Emerald's true name. One always addressed the ancient wizards politely; for they had long since earned the respect they were due.

"…_I would ask you of what you think where the Hedgehog's children are concerned."_

Thunderhawk's white eyebrows shot up. _'Interesting question… You're being cautious old one.'_ Spirit had been at the heart of a controversy among the Guardians almost two decades before, and had been thoroughly enraged by the decision said Guardians arrived at when it came to 'his' chosen avatar. Even now Spirit refused to speak with the majority of them- regardless of whether or not some of them had been his avatar in some long ago point in history. Could 'he' have found another potential avatar so soon? It was an interesting thought… _'And if Qurraamnya is beating around the bush in order to gauge what we Guardians think, then it might be a sign that "he" is debating whether to skip the formalities and throw in "his" lot with this newest avatar… Which means it _might_ be one of the triplets that "he" has "his" eye on… My triple-great-grandson is going to be _livid_ if that's the case. Come to think of it, so is my father.'_ He gave a shrug at that thought. He'd long since stopped caring what his father thought. It drove the old man absolutely insane.

"I take it you're trying to get a rough judgment as to how the others would feel if one of the triplets were your avatar?" Spirit's silence was answer enough. With a snort of amusement Thunderhawk stated, "I doubt what the other Guardians think would stop you for an instant if you're determined. As for what _I_ think, I believe you could do far worse in your choice of avatar. True, the three of them _are_ his children; but if you'll recall, I was never opposed to your choice when it came to Jules."

Spirit was silent for a few moments before surprising Thunderhawk with a laugh. Spirit so very rarely laughed that it had been completely unexpected. _"True. I remember well how you stood by my other self's side while your sire wreathed himself in a screaming temper. Thus, why I have chosen to speak with you instead of the other old fools,"_ the emerald's tone carried hints of disdain for the others, but an affectionate tease for Thunderhawk. 'He' seemed to be in a good mood.

"Would it be impolite if I were to ask which one, 'oh-ye-who-art-older-than-dirt'?" the echidna taunted back. Thunderhawk had always felt that it was a good practice to actually befriend the ancient wizards that had once been so powerful they became elementals. Formality had never sat well with Thunderhawk, so it had only been natural that as soon as his reign as Guardian began all those decades (if not centuries) ago he'd dispensed with it- Yet another thing that had driven Spectre insane about his son.

"_The thief. He, much like his sire, has proven to be my other self. Not merely an avatar of convenience, but a reflection."_ The compliment of Manic was a high one, if subtle. All of the emeralds were old, of that there was no question, but few knew how old. The fact was that the Seven were so old that they remembered little of who they had been _before_ they'd become the emeralds. Their races, their genders, their friends and kin were all lost to memory and could not be retrieved through the hazy mist of their transformation from mobian wizards to elemental gems. They each remembered their name and much of their old personalities, but little else. As such, any avatar they considered their 'other self' in some way bore a strong resemblance to who they had been. This didn't mean that the resemblance was merely a strong similarity, but instead that it was _so _strong that the personalities of emerald and avatar could meld into one and that the two beings could switch back and forth on control of the body at will. It meant that the emerald believed the avatar to share the same soul- or at least part of it. Thunderhawk had a sneaking suspicion that Spirit had been something of a kind-hearted rabble-rousing trouble-maker before 'his' transformation.

'_What does that say about Lightning? She/he/it/whatever says the same about me… All of the Emeralds were trouble-makers. They _had_ to be,' _he thought to himself amusedly. _'…Why else would they have been sealed like this?'_ "You do so enjoy angering my father, don't you?"

"_It's a talent."_ In a move that surprised Thunderhawk even further, Qurraamnya materialized 'his' physical appearance of choice; a being that resembled a golden-bronze and black-tipped male hedgehog. The triple-sets of fangs- two-upper one-lower, retractable white claws, barbed quills, curved and pointed ears, and red-violet eyes that almost glowed dispelled that seemingly simple image. Whether 'he' had been a hedgehog/tenrec mixed-blood in life was uncertain, but 'he' insisted upon presenting 'himself' as such. 'He' was sitting on 'his' emerald-self in much the same manner as Thunderhawk was on the floor. "Your sire is the sort that irks me ceaselessly, so in turn I must return the favor," Qurraamnya stated with the barest whisper of a laugh in 'his' voice.

"…You really are serious about the thief, aren't you?" Thunderhawk asked in a wry tone.

"How can I not? The sire was denied me and sealed to rest. _My other self_ resides in a jail of slumber, and the more foolish of your kin refused to acknowledge the insult they'd dealt me. They still refuse it, for they will not release him. How am I to forgive that?" Quills rattled together as Spirit bristled. "How am I to forgive that they have trapped part of me and refuse to let him free? How can I forgive when those that sealed _me_ proved that they will not accept _me_ as I am even while they claim to accord me respect and honor?"

Thunderhawk smiled. He was familiar with how the line of emerald/avatar tended to be blurred and found it oddly comforting. "As I said before: if you're set on Manic, I very strongly doubt that the other Guardians can do much of anything. Especially if you skip formalities," he said, his smile turning conspiratorial. "Though I _do_ have to wonder, why bring it up to me if you ultimately don't care what the old fools think?"

Red-violet eyes turned to regard a black-furred hand, the fingers flexing as the mixed-breed emerald played with 'his' retractable claws. The boredom was affected, if badly, to cover for some subtle anxiety; but there was no shame in knowing that Thunderhawk could read the distraction for what it was. After a moment or two, Qurraamnya finally looked at the echidna again and said, "Mine interest is not the only that has been piqued."

Thunderhawk cocked his head to the side as a puzzled frown crept onto his face. "Oh? Who else?"

"Sadaasiirae, Wisteräns…" Quraamnya hesitated for a moment, 'his' tension becoming a bit more pronounced. "…and Acondröshnii."

The old Guardian hadn't been so surprised at the mention of Earth and Air, for every Guardian _knew_ how the emeralds gravitated toward prophecy-bound individuals, but the mention of Life was unsettling. Life, contrary to its name, wasn't interested in the continuation of things or people by birth or growth; it tended to focus more on the knife-edge balance of life and death. Duality was Life's hallmark, thus why it refused to be either female or male- and it demanded the same duality of its avatars. As a result Life, the white emerald, _rarely_ took an avatar. _'The last avatar Acondröshnii had was… Goddess… five hundred years ago! And _she_ was…'_

Thunderhawk really didn't want to think about it. Every avatar of Acondröshnii operated by their own rules, their own beliefs, their own sense of right and wrong- and in their view everybody else could just get the hell out of their way if they didn't like it. Normal rules tended not to apply to Life's avatars, or at least they chose to act as such, so any avatar of the white emerald tended to be met with a great deal of trepidation. Nervous, _anxious_ as he was, Thunderhawk forced himself to ask, "Is the one Acondröshnii is interested in… Are they anything like the _last_ one?"

Qurraamnya flexed 'his' claws again as 'he' thought it over carefully. "I think not, but I can not be certain. The only assurances I can give is that he seems to hold some interest in my other self, and that my other self feels like-wise for him- much though he dislikes the thought. Perhaps if my other self comes to hold some sway over Acondröshnii's avatar, a repeat of the past can be avoided."

"…So unless Manic comes to hold sway over this other avatar, we're looking at a repeat?" The echidna couldn't help a sinking sense of dread.

Holding up a hand to put a temporary halt on the Guardian's concerns, Qurraamnya said, "As I have stated, I can not be certain. I will say this; he is _far_ more stable than the last. Whereas _she_ used her affinity with Life to cause great destruction, _he_ merely has the _potential_ for destruction. A potential he has yet to put to use."

For not the first time, Thunderhawk found himself slightly annoyed at the tendency the emeralds had for being unspecific. Giving a sigh, he asked, "So 'just wait and see', huh?"

"Indeed."

"Thank you for the forewarning Qurraamnya," Thunderhawk said as he got to his feet to leave the chamber.

"You are most welcome-" Spirit began before 'his' appearance vanished, _"-my friend, Guardian Thunderhawk."_

'_And now I'm left with the judgment of whether or not to tell the others… If I tell them, things are just going to get worse because there'll be a repeat of Jules. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Thanks for dropping this _basket-full_ of worms in my lap Spirit, _really_.'_ There were times that Thunderhawk hated having been a Guardian. This was proving to be one of _those_ days.

* * *

Sonia was getting worried. Manic had left hours ago, it was creeping toward two in the morning, and he hadn't come back. She _knew_ he was perfectly capable of defending himself, _knew_ there was no threat on the Floating Island that he couldn't handle, but that did little to ease her worry. She almost wanted to venture out into the dark to look for him, but the darkness wasn't her element. She was a noble, born and raised; she had never had any need to venture into the dark without a guiding light to keep her from straying near dangerous places. The Island might not have any monsters, but that didn't mean that an unseen cliff-edge or the edges of the Island weren't dangerous. Looking for Manic wouldn't do any good if she made a critical mistake in the dark just because she couldn't see. So she waited and worried. 'Elder-sister-Sonia' was out in force. Neither Rouge nor Liidara, both of whom had known her empathic brother for longer than she had, seemed concerned. Sonia couldn't help wondering if they had a better measure of Manic than she did.

'_Why was he so bothered by Shadow? He wasn't doing anything…'_ She shook her head and prodded at the dim fire with a stick. Most of the others had chosen to fall asleep and get what rest they could. The only others that were awake were Rouge, Shadow, Liidara, and Espio- none of which she felt too at ease speaking to. _'I wish Marietta was awake.'_

Shadow still laid on the overhang above the cave entrance, though now he seemed intent on watching the stars. Sonia didn't think she wanted to even _try_ to talk to him due to how her brother had reacted to the darker hedgehog. He wasn't inclined to talk much anyway, from what she'd seen. In fact she was quite certain that aside from when he was harassing her brother, Shadow was otherwise a silent individual.

Rouge, being Manic's ex, was another that Sonia felt wary around. How old _was_ she? How long had Manic and the bat been together anyway? She was _obviously_ older than the triplets, so… Sonia frowned at the bent her mind had taken, but chose to pursue it. Looking from the fire to where the bat was sitting next to Liidara's sizable bulk, Sonia quietly asked, "Rouge?"

The bat snapped out of whatever reverie had kept her staring at the flames to turn her attention to the curious princess. "Hm?"

"How… How long have you known Manic? If I can ask…"

A smile full of nostalgia flickered on Rouge's face for a moment. "The sister wants to know how bad the brother's been?"

"Ah- Nooooo," Sonia stammered, "I just… want to know. We… that is, Sonic and I, didn't know about you until…"

"Until I showed my face," the jewel-thief finished for the princess.

"…Yeah."

"Hn. Him and his damned secrets… Hun, if you weren't his sister I'd tell you not to bother with him. He's no end of trouble, and he'll break your heart by getting you to care about him before breaking himself apart for everybody else. He's a regular 'bleeding heart' that puts the salvation of the masses before his own survival. Kind of stupid really."

"Sounds like you two ended badly," Sonia said cautiously.

"You have _no_ idea."

"So, um… Can I ask how you two met?"

Rouge laughed, a sound that carried a touch of old pain. "You really want to know?"

"Yes," she replied firmly.

"The idiot got carried away with an overload of emotions when he was about thirteen. Something had happened, he never told me what precisely had sparked it, but whatever it was caused him to decide he was too much trouble to everyone around him. He was going suicidal; all of that 'overdramatic early teenager hormone' crap," Rouge said with a wry smile.

Shadow's ears swiveled in the bat's direction. Was that… _affection_ for Manic he heard in her voice? _'Interesting.'_

"Suicidal?" Sonia asked, concern ringing clearly in her tone.

Rouge waved it off. "I doubt he would have _actually_ gone through with it, the man's too damn stubborn to die, but when I first saw him I didn't know that. I was just flying around at the time, minding my own business and there he was at just about the highest point in Robotropolis, looking like he was going to jump. Hell, he _did_ jump and I thought there was going to be hedgehog-street-pizza." She laughed again, more at herself than anything else. "I didn't know how easily he could have caught himself, didn't realize that he could save himself at the last possible second if he wanted- I just reacted. Swooped in, caught the fool in my arms, and kept on flying until we were at someplace where we didn't have to worry about getting shot at by the SWATbots. Surprised the hell out of him too."

Liidara glanced at Shadow in curiosity. Their expressions of surprise were identical. Espio merely snorted and kept his focus for watch-duty.

"I never knew…," Sonia whispered.

"Not surprising. It's one part of his past he's ashamed of and would quite happily forget if he could- Not for meeting me, but for the fact that he was stupid enough to actually seriously consider suicide _and_ jump. I gave him one hell of a talking-to; pretty much called him a 'stupid idiotic moron' for what he'd done and told him that if I ever caught him at it again, I'd personally throttle him."

"So when did you two…?"

"Become an item?" At Sonia's nod, Rouge sighed. "Understand this: the _only_ reason I'm willing to tell you this is because you're his sister." Darting a look at the other three she snapped, "So if any of you say a word of this, _I will hurt you_."

"What do _I_ care about Manic's past, bat? It's not of my concern," Espio stated with a small measure of distaste, no doubt rooted in the mutual hostility between him and said hedgehog.

"Raati, if I ever betrayed such a thing that concerns Manyi, I _could not_ forgive myself," Liidara assured.

"Shadow?" Rouge asked archly.

"I won't say anything," he promised.

"Good." Turning back to Sonia, Rouge continued, "I got together with him a year or so after that. I kept on running into him; he kept running into me, hormones went wild…" She couldn't help laughing at Sonia's slowly widening eyes as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. "We got together and had about a good year together. Then Tahl died and he turned into 'Captain I-Must-Save-Everyone'. Things kind of fell apart after that."

"Oh… I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to be. No one could have really done anything about what happened to Tahl; so nothing could have been done about the choices Manic made. I'm not exactly thrilled with him, but I don't hate him. I can't be with him, don't want to even _think_ about being with him _ever_ again, but I don't hate him."

Sonia considered, mulling things over for a few moments. Had Rouge hinted that Manic wasn't…? _'No, she couldn't be… She's got to be… what? 3? 4 years older than us? It wouldn't make sense if the two of them… Oh Goddess… What if she… _seduced_… my brother? Oh Goddess…'_ The slightly horror-struck expression on her face drew a raised eyebrow from the bat. "Um…" she began, lightly tugging at her lower lip with her teeth. _'Oh come on! This is Manic we're talking about here! He's responsible! Reckless, but responsible. He wouldn't do anything. I just need her to tell me so that I'll stop freaking out about it…'_ "Rouge… did you ever…?"

A snort of laughter pulled itself from the bat. "Did I ever _sleep_ with him?" Sonia gave a halting nod. "Sonia, princess, I hate to burst your bubble- but if Manic's a virgin then I'm a shape-shifting alien from another _galaxy_."

Sonia's jaw dropped in shocked disbelief. She didn't even notice the fit of muffled laughter that had erupted from Shadow. "Y-y-y-y-you… And my brother…?" she squawked. Shadow rolled so that his back was to them and curled in on himself, his quiet laughter shaking his shoulders.

Rouge was having a hard time not laughing at Sonia's reaction herself, but she kept her composure. "Yup. Was pretty damn fun for all that I was his first."

Sonia gave another strangled squawk, sending Shadow into another giggle-fit. "How _old_ are you? When did you two- No. No, I don't want to know. I don't. I don't."

Rouge arched an eyebrow. "I'm eighteen. Not too big an age gap, three years, closer to two. He was fourteen-going-on-fifteen at the time. Fifteen-going-on-sixteen now. Do the math."

"You slept with my _brother_ when he was _fourteen?_ And you were _seventeen?_ What is _wrong_ with you?"

Rouge gave an amused snort, ignoring Shadow's near-silent cackling as best she could. "For your information, your _brother_ has always been mature for his age. He's _had_ to be. _I_ didn't push him into anything. He went after me of his own free will- so if you have a problem with it, take it up with him. Besides… You're the one who _wanted_ to know."

"But- but- but… That's…" Sonia trailed off uncomfortably.

"…To be expected, unfortunately, because he grew up on the street. _Everyone_ matures quickly on the streets- _everyone_. Anybody that doesn't shape up quickly is looking at a pretty rough road, if not outright death. It's not as if we can pick and choose _what parts_ of our minds mature at what points and how. So he lost it early. _So what?_ Manic is Manic, simple as that."

"But… What about…"

"Innocence? There is no innocence on the streets. Not in the 'lack of knowledge purity' sense. Your brother might technically be a prince," Rouge said as she locked eyes with Sonia, "but he's a street-brat through and through."

Sonia fell into an awkward silence at that; her mind rehashing the old conflict of how much she knew about Manic versus her protectiveness and the familiarity she was entitled to as his sister. It was an uncomfortable train of thought.

His giggle-fit finally ended, Shadow whipped himself onto his feet in the blink of an eye. "I'm off for a bit," he stated nonchalantly.

"Where are you going?" Sonia asked, trying to take her mind off her thoughts.

Red met red as he said, "To retrieve your brother and let him know that he's worrying you senseless." Before she could even thank him, he jumped from his perch and bolted off into the woods, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. _'Her freak-outs about Manic's 'love life' are almost as entertaining as his freak-outs about me… Ah, the excuses I'll use to bother him.' _He didn't bother smothering the laugh this time.

* * *

Ka'eh frowned as she eyed the passed-out pea-hawk on the ground next to her. Sabbat had curled up against her side as tightly as he could in his sleep, abandoning his typical spot under one of Qet's wings in favor of her protective presence. Sabbat had developed quite the attachment to Qet during the few short months he'd been living with them, perhaps due to the fact that despite his snarky attitude Qet was actually one of the most gentle of their family. It was a rare thing indeed when Sabbat felt so in need of protection that he'd turn to her to watch over him while he slept.

She was the aggressive and combative one. She was the one that would go out looking for a fight and challenge, the one that would gleefully fight on even while bruised and bleeding with broken bones. It was not just for her mottled black-brown-golden-gray fur that her name had originally been 'Scrap'. She was, as she had been told by both Farrel and Arajia, as well as those she'd been adopted by, a berserker. For that reason alone she tended to unsettle Sabbat, though she knew he knew that she would never harm him. She just wasn't good with the whole 'gentle' thing. Protective she could do, easily, and it was something she did well. Even if it meant threatening those she loved for their own good.

Giving a sigh, her golden-brown eyes clouded over. _'Qetzenthala is exhausted, and without one hell of a thermal there's no way he's getting up to that island with me and Sabbat. Hell, for what he did manage that's impressive enough for what he is! If he makes the attempt again... _Krrresk_. He'd just kill himself. All because we don't have access to Tryst and those bastards will head to the island.'_ A fanged snarl flashed across her face before she could stop it. She knew combat, she knew physical capabilities, and she knew what species were capable of what. For what Qet was, he was one of the most physically fit she had ever seen. Most peacocks or hawks couldn't have even gotten off the ground with the burden he'd carried, especially without any sort of running start. _'And stupidly I didn't realize he was pushing it until it was almost too late. I should have noticed sooner.'_ She could only hope that he hadn't hurt himself with how much he'd overextended himself.

That in turn left one option that she knew of: if Qet couldn't fly up to the island easily with herself and Sabbat, then he would have to be given the means to do so- and the easiest way to accomplish that was an extremely large updraft. Taking stock of where they were, Ka'eh gave a faint hum of thought. She could either go off to get the help they needed while Sabbat and Qet were asleep, or she could wait until they were awake and end up exposing them to a people that would rather remain invisible. Leaving them undefended was by no means an option (because really there was no telling what sort of people might come across them while they slept), and the other choice wasn't one she was entirely comfortable with either. _'It's times like this that I wish I was a 'path of some sort. It'd make it so much easier.'_ Gently biting a thumb-claw as her anxiety got the better of her; she internally debated as to whether the other two would sleep through a suitable howl. Those that could help would definitely be able to hear her howl and come to their aid, but if either of them woke then those that came would be less than pleased with her. As it was in the eyes of some her tribal status was precarious enough- exposure, whether intentional or not, wouldn't win her any points with those that disputed her adoption into the tribe. _'Hell…'_

At least they were _close enough_ to the tribe's territory… _'Maybe if I go off just far enough to keep an eye on them, but not wake them…'_ They were in a relatively thin area of the grasses of the plains- most likely cut or thinned down for the various uses the tribe could put the grasses to. It was thin and sparse enough that Ka'eh felt confident that she wouldn't have to worry about venomous snakes if she did wander off a little bit- she'd easily see any movement before they could get anywhere close to Qet and Sabbat. Carefully getting to her feet, the canine silently crept off a ways while keeping her eyes trained on her adoptive siblings the entire way. As soon as she deemed the distance between them far enough she tilted her muzzle to the sky and took a deep breath to give the specific howl that would relay her request. _'Time to see if I can't get someone to summon up a wind when we need it.'_

* * *

Manic returned in a mood as the sun came up. He was _not_ pleased. His exchange with Shadow the night before had been bad enough; obnoxious, infuriating, tempting- _'Oh HELL NO. NOT going there!'_ After stalking off, he'd ambled along the edges of the Island for a while, and at one point had taken a seat on the edge and just admired the sky. True, it had been an effort to block out thoughts of Shadow and how infuriating he'd been, but sometimes it was nice to just take in a beautiful view and relax.

After a while he'd retreated from the edge of the Island, climbed a tree, and gone to sleep. The dreams _had not_ been helpful WHAT. SO. EVER. As if waking from dreams about the most obnoxious hedgehog in _existence_ hadn't been bad enough, when Manic woke up Shadow had been perched on a branch that was a limb-or-two above where Manic had parked himself for the night. And he was _amused_. The bastard had been _amused_ at _his_ expense… AGAIN. Manic wanted to punch him. He _really_ wanted to punch him when Shadow had said, "Were you aware that you _just barely_ broadcast your dreams?" It turned out that 'just barely' meant that anybody within a foot of him would pick up on his broadcasting… if they _weren't_ a telepath. If they were a telepath then they could pick up on it from seven feet away. Manic _REALLY_ wanted to punch Shadow. Preferably across his smug face.

He probably would have after he snarled out, "What _the hell_ do you want?" And then Shadow had suddenly dropped so that he and Manic were on the same branch, invaded his personal space by looming over him (and _NO_, his heart _hadn't_ skipped a few beats, thank you!), and smirked that Goddess-be-damned infuriating smirk of his that said he was laughing at Manic's expense.

"You're worrying your poor sister senseless, so I volunteered to find you and bring you back." And then he winked, and teleported out of the damn tree so he was on the forest floor.

Oh yeah, sure, Manic had sat there stunned for a few moments- but the second he'd recovered, he'd yelled, "I _swear_ I'm going to _kill you!_"

What did the 'great and wonderful bastard' do? Laughed. Laughed, flashed him a smile and said, "Maybe later… 'your highness'," before running off; leaving Manic wanting to kill him… Or at least throttle him… all while fighting to gain control over his almost impossible-to-control blush. No, there was no question about it, Manic _was not_ pleased.

So, when those self-satisfied red eyes locked on him the moment he returned, Manic glared at him outright. Shadow grinned in response. "Shadow," Manic snapped out, drawing some surprised looks from the others at his tone.

"_Nani_?" Shadow asked.

Manic flashed a wicked grin that promised all the violence in the world if given even half a chance and cheerily greeted, "Go fall in a meat-grinder and die. You'll spare the world a lot of trouble."

Shadow smirked. That damn smirk that said he was laughing at Manic's expense. Completely ignoring everyone else around them, he replied, "Oh, I might happily do _just_ that- _if you joined me_."

Manic's right eye twitched in irritation. He _knew_ what Shadow was doing; and it did nothing to improve his mood. He was _deliberately_ choosing his words so that the others would only pick up on the more innocuous meaning instead of the true one. _'Misdirection by misunderstanding… Goddess _above_, you're such an ASS.'_ "I'll join you there about as soon as Robotnik loses weight!" he shot back.

"That can be arranged," Shadow drawled. _'A pity my telepathy isn't working just now, but you can pick up the gist of my thoughts based on my mood anyway. So you should know: I can't think of anyone that's as entertaining as you are.'_ Judging by the golden-eyed scowl that earned, Manic had caught his meaning.

The others were looking back and forth between the two of them, the majority with varying expressions of confusion as to _why_ they were so hostile toward each other, when Rouge cut in. "Boys, knock it off."

Manic snorted and pointedly turned his back on Shadow. The darker hedgehog merely snickered. "Rouge, keep Shadow on a leash. He's not fit for polite company," the thief-prince grumbled as he stalked past the others.

"I heard that," Shadow remarked.

Manic paused, spun to glower at Shadow and snapped out in the most venomous tone the others had yet heard him use, "Why am I not surprised? Oh wait- could it be because you don't know how to stop _eavesdropping_? And that you don't know how to SHUT UP? Or wait, could it even be because _you're an ass?_ Regardless, piss off. Or my dagger is going right between your damned eyes." And with that he stormed into the Hidden Palace without so much as a glance to anyone else.

Shadow donned an aloof expression as the others slowly turned to eye him. "...Personality conflicts," he stated in explanation without explaining.

Sonic arched an eyebrow before retorting, "I think that's an understatement."

* * *

"Zo Dahlink, any luck in gettink him to talk?" Patros asked Lien-Da. He and the others that Robotnik had hired had been putting off their excursion to the Floating Island; partly because they figured that a dragon the size of Liidara could easily handle anything that could come up, and partly because they wanted to be certain that their enemies wouldn't have the advantage of information on them. That in turn meant that most of them were getting twitchy and eager to be on their way, so the pressure to have the bizarre mixed-blood talk had been steadily increasing.

Lien-Da gave a snarl of unrestrained rage in response. "None. The half-breed cur won't even _crack_. I've _never_ run into someone so obstinate! I even started breaking his bones! Nothing! The mutt just laughs in my face! If we didn't need him alive I'd kill him NOW!" she snapped, punching a hole in the nearest wall in her fit of temper.

Robotnik scowled from the desk he sat behind. "Lien-Da, if you would _refrain_ from _destroying_ my mansion it would be _most appreciated_."

"Your mutts can fix it," the echidna stated flippantly while aiming a pointed look at Sleet and Dingo. Both of them withered under her gaze- _'Just as they _should be_.'_ Her patience was being stretched thin having to be around so many non-echidnas, especially in that few of those in present company offered what (to her) was the proper deference. "Even if the two of them prove so incapable that they can't fix a little hole in the wall, I'm certain that you've got more than enough robots that are more than capable." It was more than clear that it wasn't robots she was talking about per se, but roboticized mobians.

The human gave a grunt in response as he eyed the 'little' hole. In reality the hole was big enough for Robotnik to put his head through if he so desired, and the cracks spider-webbed the wall for a good two-foot radius around it. 'Little' it was not. "Nonetheless, I'd prefer if the building structure weren't being weakened. If you absolutely feel the need to put a hole through something, why don't you put a few more through our guest?"

"_BECAUSE IT'S NOT DOING ANY GOOD!_" she exploded.

"Jeez Lien-Da, take a nerve-pill," Nack smirked from his seat. He sat in a chair a ways off, tilted back so it was balanced on the back legs with his feet resting on the repaired table that Tryst's body had split in half. "He'll break. They always break. You just have ta find out what'll make 'im break. I mean, come on! People in Mercia have been breaking down scraps like that for _how long_? Just take a step back an' think it through."

Lien-Da aimed a scowl at the weasel, dangerously close to telling him just where he could stuff his inferior suggestions, when Patros chimed in. "He _does_ haff a point Dahlink. If you vant to br'eak him you haff to consider all possibilities. It could fery vell be dat in order to… 'persuade' him dat you may haff to har'm some-von else. Dere are plenty in dis vorld dat seem _impossible_ to br'eak- _until_ you start har'mink anozher. Den dey _crumble_." The grin playing about his muzzle at the last few words made it clear that he knew exactly what he was talking about.

Riá'shen gave an aggravated sigh, a dull shade of blue reflecting his boredom rippling across his skin. "Of course, leave it to the slaver to know all sorts of ways to mentally manipulate others. Sick bastard."

"If I recall corr'ectly your _sister_ vas much de same vay," the bull-dog rumbled.

"And she was a sick witch," Riá'shen retorted. "Gehmeh was touched in the head. She let her passions get the better of her. Now she's dead. Besides, you're forgetting one important thing- we don't _have_ anyone to threaten our 'guest' with. The way he's going I very much doubt that _that one_ would break down if we started taking apart a roboticized mobian in front of him. He'd probably excuse it on the idea that being dead is better than being enslaved." Flicking his tail, he started pacing, his raptor-like talons clicking on the marble floor. "No, he's _protecting_ something, or someone. He's trying to _delay us_." Suddenly turning to lock his eyes on Robotnik, Riá'shen stated in a near-demand, "Give the order. Let us move for the Island _NOW_. _Don't_ wait until they come to _us_! By then it'll be too damned late and who _knows_ what they'll have worked out against us! The sooner we get there, the sooner their blood flows, and the sooner _we take them out_. Kleptomaniac, the royals, and any others that might get in our way!"

"_You_ seem awfully eager," Aridya murmured, his voice a whispery rasp. Up until that point the cloaked squirrel had been largely silent and had almost seemed to vanish into the shadows of the corner of the room he occupied near the bookshelves. "One might almost think you're eager to run and _help_ them." Within less than a second the hostility of the room shifted to Riá'shen.

"I believe our mage-friend has a point," Robotnik stated thoughtfully, his fingers steepling in front of him.

Riá'shen gave a scoff, his skin-tone shifting to an annoyed dark red with red-orange and black speckled stripes concentrated down the length of his spine and limbs. "_Bitch please!_ Spare me your suspicions. Yes, I'm not here for the same damned reasons as everyone else. Lien-Da's here for cash and satisfying her egotistical echidna-supremacy crap. Fang's here for the cash and being as much of an obnoxious little spraint as he possibly can be. Patros is here for cash and probably dragging a few of the idiots we're up against to Mercia so he can make even more of a damned profit like the sick bastard he is. Who knows what the hell Silent-Pretty-Boy-Homicidal-Maniac-Squirrel-in-the-corner is here for? Personally I don't care and I could give a spraint less. I'm _not_ here for cash, _Robotnik_. I'm here for one reason and one reason only: _meat_." Giving a snort he continued pacing, not particularly caring that all of their eyes were on him, warily watching.

After a few moments he continued, a vague hint of amusement tingeing his words. "I admit, for the most part I couldn't care less what everyone else in this happy little circus is doing or intends to do. Hell, I don't even give a crap about getting revenge for my sister. She brought it on herself. I'll even admit that for the most part I have contempt for every last one of you idiots- _but I'm not alone in that_. Every last one of us here has our own ego-trips going on. Every one of us here believes, to some extent, that _we're_ better than everyone else here. Do I care? No. I'm a predator- I'm a quarter _raptor_ for yiff's sake! I _want_ blood, death, and _meat_. I want to _hunt_. I want to tear into somebody, shred their hide, rip out a few bones, taste their blood, and actually _eat_! Yes, I have my morals- I _don't_ approve of slavery or think any one damned race is any better than another. I think anybody trying to rule the world like you are- _Lord_ Robotnik- is out of their freaking mind because it's too much of a damned hassle to try to control what anyone else is doing. I think the majority of the people in this room would benefit from removing the giant _whale-sized_ stick from their collective asses. Is it my concern? NO. So for the most part I could give a crap less about the sort of egotistical spraint everyone here is head-tripping on. I am getting _impatient_. I want _food_- and it's not exactly like I can go rampaging through Robotropolis and eat whoever I damned well please. You don't exactly want your 'citizens' going up in arms because you hired on a 'flesh-eater'. Besides, the longer we give them to _plan_, the more of a chance they have to gain whatever information our 'guest's' friends may or may not have passed on, the _lower_ our chances are of succeeding. So forget torturing the hell out of the cybernetic freak-child and being suspicious of my hunger and impatience; let's _go_ already! We can drag the fox-bat wonder along with us and use him against whatever friends of his may be up there!"

Lien-Da's head cocked to the side, a thoughtful expression in place as the huffing crocodile/chameleon/raptor-crossbreed went silent. True, she thought that any mixed blood like his was nauseating- making him far more inferior than she would have considered a purebred, but she had to admit that he'd had several very good points. Still… "Cybernetic? He has cybernetics?" she mused aloud. At Riá'shen's 'no spraint' eye-roll she asked, "How could you tell? Not even I noticed that."

"His blood reeks of it," the reptile bluntly stated.

"_Impossible_. I vould haff smelled it," Patros nearly barked out.

"You? HA!" Riá'shen sneered, "I'm amazed you can smell anything beyond your own jowls with that pushed-in pug-nose of yours. I'm even _more_ amazed that you don't have one of those persistent sinus-infections your breed is so prone to. The point _is_, is that my sense of smell is more sensitive than yours." He waited a few smug moments, his arms crossing and the killing claws on his feet twitching to click on the floor, before he condescendingly added, "He's got so many nanites in his blood-stream that he'd set off a metal-detector. Internal organ maintenance most likely. It's rare in these parts, but not unheard of. Then again judging by his accent he's probably from Eired originally- and it's pretty damned prevalent there. Considering the sort of mule he is, it's not all that surprising that he _would_ have that sort of treatment. Cross-breeding of that kind usually results in weak body-systems in addition to the pretty much guaranteed sterility." 'Flesh-eater' or no, it was clear that Riá'shen was highly intelligent in his own right; few other than academics would have used the medical term of 'mule' to refer to a mixed-blood of conflicting races. He himself didn't have the problem of a weak system due to the fact that all three racial lines of his ancestry were reptilian and carnivorous to some extent- enough similarity among his bloodlines was present to prevent the majority of afflictions a less well 'matched-up' crossbreed might endure.

"I _thought_ his blood was a little dark…" Lien-Da muttered.

Aridya gave a scowl at that while Nack let out an impressed whistle. "I originally had a purpose for him if we had to kill him, but that makes him _useless_ to me," the squirrel snarled.

"Tough luck death-mage," the mixed-blood reptile returned. "Kind of hard to have a 'natural' sacrifice when your intended sacrifice is 'corrupted' with tech."

"Daaaaamn… What sorta brainiac _are_ you?" Nack asked.

"The carnivorous kind," Riá'shen grinned. Licking his fangs and clicking his killing-claws on the floor pointedly, he glanced at Robotnik over a shoulder and asked "So, Robotnik, when do we leave?"

Robotnik considered for a few moments. He didn't like the challenging and cocky tone Riá'shen had, but even he had to admit that the reptile was right. Massaging his temples in aggravation he grumbled out, "Sleet, Dingo, go ready the ship. Lien-Da, prepare our 'guest' for shipment. You move out in three hours."

A gleeful grin split Riá'shen's face as he crowed out, "About freaking time!"

* * *

Yeah, you know the drill already. Push the button and review. n.n


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